Options for polarimetrie variable measurements on the MPAR advanced technology demonstrator

The goal of a Spectrum Efficient National Surveillance Radar (SENSR) initiative is to explore solutions for vacating the 1.3–1.35 GHz radio frequency band (currently occupied by the FAA/DoD/DHS systems) so that it can be auctioned to the private sector. One option is the Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) which seeks to combine the aircraft detection and tracking as well as weather surveillance into a single polarimetric PAR system. While the functionality of PAR technology for point targets is well-established, accurate polarimetric measurements of distributed targets have not yet been demonstrated. Currently, the cylindrical and planar architectures are being assessed for MPAR. The latter provides greater flexibility to perform point target and weather functions but (at least in theory) presents a greater challenge to achieve sufficient accuracy for polarimetric weather measurements. To evaluate the performance of a planar polarimetric PAR for weather surveillance, MPAR Advanced Technology Demonstrator (ATD) is being constructed by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and will be installed in Norman, OK. Herein, options for producing accurate polarimetric weather measurements using ATD are presented.