Radar systems and waveforms

The specification of the waveform employed by any radar system has always been a key factor in determining performance and application. In recent years there has been a trend towards ever greater degrees of digitization and more widespread use of solid state power amplification in radar systems. This is opening up new and ever increasing choices as to the waveform that can be selected. Indeed the choice made will have a significant impact on overall system performance and it is a choice that can be made on an adaptive and continuous basis. In this paper we begin briefly by examining what is meant by the term radar waveform and then go on to explore the various types of current and future radar systems and the subsequent role that may be played by waveform design. In this way we demonstrate that as radar systems migrate from relatively simple types that interrogate their environment on a fixed and repetitive basis to systems that interact with their sensed environment in a much more intelligent and complex way the choice of waveform becomes an ever more important factor determining the resulting capability.