Tarsier/spl R/, a millimetre wave radar for airport runway debris detection

This paper describes the development of a low power, solid state, millimetre wave radar dedicated to the detection of Foreign Object Debris (FOD) on airport runways. The radar, Tarsier, combines a specially designed high gain dual antenna, a very low phase noise source, a unique FMCW linearisation technique, a custom FPGA / DSP card and a fibre link for remote operation. The 0.ZSm range resolution together with 0.18° azimuth beamwidth and low grazing angle minimises the radar clutter footprint enabling the detection of very small debris (-20dB m² and less) at ranges up to 2km. The system has been successfully trialled at military and civil airports and results are presented. The system architecture is readily translatable for other applications such as perimeter security surveillance and bird detection.