System optimization techniques for radar surveillance from space

Computer analysis and simulation routines have been used to maximize the area surveillance rate by evaluating several detection schemes and by finding an optimum set of N_i (number of noncoherent integration periods), SNR (signal-to-noise ratio), and T_ci (coherent integration time) values that minimize the dwell time. An example comparison between 4-out-of-4 and 2-out-of-3 detection shows a 51% improvement when the dwell time is optimized. A comparison between 3-out-of-3 and 2-out-of-3 detection with dwell-time optimization shows a 42% improvement. A routine has been used to maintain the false-alarm time nearly constant over a large access area. The routing has little effect on the area coverage rate. The coverage rate is very sensitive to the N_i, T_ci set used (holding output probability of detection constant) but rather insensitive to the false-alarm number used