An OTH Radar Clutter Simulation
Abstract
A computer simulation is described which was developed with the objective of arriving at an understanding of OTH radar clutter originating in the equatorial ionosphere. This source of clutter is of particular interest in OTH radar, since all radar propagation paths must pass through the equatorial region, even if the desired targets are far removed from it. A central feature of the simulation is an ionospheric propagation model developed to synthesize OTH radar clutter by making use of state-of-the art models for global ionospheric structure, including small-scale irregularities, and combining these with efficient ray tracing procedures and a multiple phase-screen approach to computing the diffraction of radar energy by the irregular ionosphere. Simulated clutter data is compared to actual measurements using several radars, with generally satisfactory results.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA248054
Entities
People
- J. Providakes
- M. C. Kelley
- R. B. Godwin
- T. J. Elkins