HF shipborne over-the-horizon surface wave radar background clutter statistics

Sea clutter statistics are very important in designing target detection algorithms in both shore-based SWR (surface wave radar) and shipborne SWR. The sea clutter statistical characteristics in shore-based SWR have been discussed (see Barrick, D.E. and Bsnider, J., IEEE Trans. on Antennas and Propagation, p.19-28, 1997), but the statistics of sea echo in shipborne SWR radar have not been reported. The statistical models of first-order Bragg lines and the second order components of sea echoes, which include the effect of motion of the radar platform, are established for shipborne SWR. The effects of radar platform motion on the statistics of sea echoes are analyzed and the results are verified by measured data. This provides a theoretical basis for some Gaussian-based target detection techniques to be used in shipborne SWR.