A differential recursive detection (DRD) technique for multiple phase shift keying (MPSK) is proposed, and its performance is analyzed and computer simulated. By combining the multiple-symbol differential detection algorithm with conventional (one-symbol) differential detection, based on maximum-likelihood estimation for a multisymbol observation interval, it is possible to construct a recursive algorithm with a much simpler structure and comparable performance in error rate. Results from computer simulation show 1.25 dB, 2 dB, and 2.55 dB gain over conventional differential detection for the input symbol sequence length of N=3, 5, and 10, respectively, at a bit error rate of 10/sup -5/ in additive white Gaussian noise. For N of more than 10, the performance of DRD is close to that of ideal coherent detection for the differentially encoded signal.<<ETX>>