Machine Learning Algorithms for On-Ship Radar Clutter Mitigation

Abstract

Publicly Releasable NEEC Topic: DD-01 NEEC Technical POC: Karen Smith Understanding the radar signatures of ambient objects (known as “clutter”) and how to differentiate them from more defense-oriented targets has been an important topic in the design of air defense systems for decades. Clutter can consist of objects on the surface, such as mountains or buildings, or in the air, such as precipitation, birds, or insects. This project will conduct research into leveraging modern machine learning techniques to improve capabilities to classify tracks from radar systems as either clutter or non-clutter. The goal will be to produce a system that is capable of being integrated into shipboard data collection systems and robust enough to reduce operator-in-the-loop functions. The research will investigate both supervised and unsupervised learning approaches for object classification. It will also evaluate the application of strategies such as active learning to supplement existing labeled datasets. Finally, the research will consider strategies for characterizing model uncertainty and improving model robustness in operational scenarios. The result will provide an important progress toward autonomous detection capabilities to improve strategic awareness and defense

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Mar 11, 2025
Source ID
N001742310019

Entities

People

  • Justin Krometis

Organizations

  • United States Navy
  • Virginia Tech

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Computer science

Readers

  • Naval Mine Countermeasure Systems Development.
  • Neural Network Machine Learning.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • AI & ML
  • AI & ML - DoD AI Strategy
  • AI & ML - Neural Networks