Radar performance prediction for target detection at sea

Radar performance prediction models are required for radar system specification, trade-off analyses and risk assessment. The major difficulty in estimating radar performance for small targets at sea is that detection is often limited by sea clutter. The choice of radar parameters, signal processing and operational procedures may dramatically influence performance. In order to provide accurate performance predictions, estimates of signals received from a target and background clutter must be obtained and applied to a model of the radar system and detection process. The authors outline ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive radar performance prediction model. Work has been conducted on average sea clutter, sea clutter statistical properties and signal processing effects on detection