Bistatic radar using satellite-borne illuminators of opportunity

Over the past decade or more, there has been much interest in the possibilities of bistatic or multistatic radar for surveillance purposes, and the potential advantages of these techniques are well-known. A possibility is to attempt to make use of 'illuminators of opportunity', i.e. transmissions present for other purposes and with favourable location, power level and modulation. The objective of the work described is to extend the idea to the use of satellite-borne illuminators of opportunity, and to explore their use for various types of surveillance application. For the purposes of this work, direct broadcast by satellite television (DBS TV) transmissions are employed, though this does not necessarily rule out other forms of satellite-borne transmissions. The authors evaluate the performance of the radar using a simple model with which they compare experimental results. In particular they give consideration to the suitability of TV waveforms for radar operation.<>