Open AccessModelling the radar signature of rotorcraft
Author(s) -
Point Guillaume,
Degurse JeanFrançois,
Savy Laurent,
Montécot Marc,
Milin JeanLuc
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iet radar, sonar and navigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.489
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1751-8792
pISSN - 1751-8784
DOI - 10.1049/rsn2.12062
Subject(s) - signature (topology) , radar , radar cross section , computer science , parametric statistics , baseband , waveform , radar tracker , flash (photography) , engineering , artificial intelligence , bandwidth (computing) , telecommunications , physics , mathematics , geometry , statistics , optics
Abstract The problem of radar helicopter detection and classification requires simple and fast modelling of rotorcraft signature to aid the design of specific waveforms or to provide quality training data to machine learning algorithms. Here, we present a modular parametric model for the baseband radar cross‐section of helicopters in the narrowband approximation. Every significant element of the complex rotorcraft signature is identified and its signature is reproduced faithfully. The full model is validated by comparing simulated data with real radar helicopter data. Particularly important features, such as the overall time‐frequency response, blade flash shape and blade flash duration, are shown to be reconstructed very accurately.