Predicting the Performance of Low-Angle Microwave Search Radars-- Targets, Sea Clutter, and the Detection Process

Microwave search radars mounted close to the ocean surface are widely used for a variety of navigation and search functions in maritime environments. Accurate prediction of performance of such microwave search radars involves the realistic modeling of radar sea clutter, targets of interest within the surveillance area, and the detection or decision process carried out by the radar-operator combination. This paper discusses principal characteristics of radar sea clutter and targets and the realistic models developed at Georgia Tech in recent years for each of these areas of radar performance prediction. In addition, a brief discussion of the state-of-the-art in automatic detection systems is presented.