ABSTRACT
The basic operation of a pulse radar is depicted in Figure 15.1. The radar transmits pulses superimposed on a radio frequency (RF) carrier and then receives returns (reflections) from desired and undesired scatterers. Desired scatterers corresponding to targets may include space, airborne, and sea-and/or surface-based vehicles as well as the earth’s surface and the atmosphere in remote sensing applications. Returns from undesired scatterers are termed clutter. Clutter sources encountered by radars designed to detect and track individual targets include the earth’s surface, natural and man-made discrete objects, and volumetric atmospheric phenomena such as rain and birds. Short-range/low-altitude radar operation is often constrained by clutter since the multitude of undesired returns masks returns from targets of interest such as aircraft.
