Comparison of detectability of traditional pulsed and spread spectrum radar waveforms in classic passive receivers

Passive receivers can be used to detect radar emissions over considerable distances. If range resolution requirements are fixed, it is of interest to compare the detectability of equal-bandwidth/equal-energy waveforms regardless of their time duration. Relative detection ranges are predicted, via computer simulation, for two types of transmitted waveforms: a benchmark rectangular pulse and a Welti binary coded waveform. The waveforms will be detected by square-law, delay and multiply, wideband, and channelized passive receivers possessing typical bandwidth, noise-floor, and loss parameters. A comparison is given showing the relative low probability of intercept and low probability of detection (LPI/LPD) attributes of each waveform and the relative detection attributes of each receiver.

[1]  George R. Welti,et al.  Quaternary codes for pulsed radar , 1960, IRE Trans. Inf. Theory.

[2]  G. F. Stott,et al.  LPI considerations for surveillance radars , 1992 .

[3]  J. K. Townsend,et al.  A method and metric for quantitatively defining low probability of detection , 1998, IEEE Military Communications Conference. Proceedings. MILCOM 98 (Cat. No.98CH36201).

[4]  P. E. Pace,et al.  Wigner distribution detection and analysis of FMCW and P-4 polyphase LPI waveforms , 2002, 2002 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing.

[5]  Richard G. Wiley.  Electronic Intelligence: The Interception of Radar Signals , 1985 .

[6]  Carl W. Helstrom,et al.  Elements of signal detection and estimation , 1994 .

[7]  D. Curtis Schleher,et al.  Introduction to Electronic Warfare , 1986 .

[8]  G. Schrick,et al.  Interception of LPI radar signals , 1990, IEEE International Conference on Radar.