Radar Performance Analysis Based on Target Maneuvering Using Radar Cross Section Simulation Data

During radar operation, changes in the radar cross section (RCS) of a target have an adverse effect on the radar detection performance. In particular, the RCS of a target with high maneuvering characteristics can be changed rapidly. Therefore, a precise prediction of the RCS change is essential for satisfactory radar detection performance. In this study, a modeling and simulation (M&S) tool was developed for the estimation of radar detection performance. The M&S tool comprises a radar model, target model, and wave propagation model. In particular, pre-obtained RCS simulation data were utilized to consider the effect of the RCS change of the target. Using the developed tool, the RCS based on the relative attitude is extracted from the RCS simulation data and the RCS processed data using the moving average method. The M&S model is verified by comparing the two test results with the radar received signal power. Consequently, we verified that when using the RCS manufacturing data, the signal power is more similar to the test data than the other RCS simulation methods. It is expected that the radar performance on the high-maneuvering target can be estimated using the developed M&S tool.