Experimental Performance Analysis of Distributed Target Coherent Radar Detectors

In this paper a performance analysis on recorded live data of some detectors for range-spread targets is developed. To this end, real target and sea-clutter data collected by a fully coherent Ka-band radar system, featuring submeter range resolution, are used. The study is of particular interest for homeland security radar applications where a careful coastal control is necessary to prevent the arrival of nonauthorized small boats. The performance of both rank-one and subspace range-spread target detection strategies is analyzed, both in terms of constant false alarm rate (CFAR) behavior and in terms of detection capabilities. With reference to the former issue, clutter-only datafiles are used whereas, concerning the latter data containing both real target and clutter are used. The targets returns come from typical small boats (such as inflatable, wooden, and patrol boats) appearing range distributed at the resolution of the exploited radar system. Range-time detection maps are shown, assessing the capability of the analyzed processors to detect the aforementioned targets of great interest for homeland coastal security. Finally, the performance improvements achievable by over-resolving the target is quantified.