Point scatterer modeling of complex targets

In this paper, a novel point scatterer model is introduced that is able to accurately represent complex targets. It is well known that radar measurement data are highly sensitive to minute azimuth angle shifts or trivial target structure variations. Signal fluctuations caused by relative phase differences among scatterers is commonly regarded as the source of this sensitivity. This sensitivity can be demonstrated through interference of just two point scatterers. Less well known are the effects of “phase jumps”, and the results of matched filtering. All of these are included in our model. Results for 3-D representations of T-72 tank models are generated. Target length and range profile variability patterns are extracted from the target models and compared with real target measurement data, the MSTAR dataset. They show remarkably close similarity in both comparisons.