Effects of Mutual Coupling of Radiating Antennas on an Adaptive Radar Detector

In this paper, we address the adaptive detection/classification of signals in a homogenous interference environment. We refer to a radar system equipped with a phased array antenna and account for both the presence of mutual coupling between radiating antennas and a possible coherent interferer impinging on the array mainbeam. To deal with this scenario, we adopt a two-stage detection/classification scheme, enjoying the Costant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) property, to discriminate between target detection and coherent interferer rejection. Finally, we evaluate the system performance via Monte Carlo simulations. The results show that our system has interesting rejection capabilities and satisfactory detection levels. As a consequence, it could be successfully applied in real scenarios where mutual coupling is present. Keywords—Adaptive radar detection, mutual coupling effects between radiating elements, constant false alarm rate, interference rejection.

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