Receiver Density Analysis for High Probability Detection of Forward Scattered Airborne Signals

With the growing availability of consumer-grade airborne systems, there is an increased need for air surveillance with a high probability of detection of low-observable systems. This need can be met for some situations by opportunistic usage of increasingly available spaceborne illuminators such as proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) telecommunications satellite constellations, which can provide increased geographical coverage and detection capability relative to other modern methods. In addition, these proliferated LEO constellations operate in the Ka-band, resulting in extensive target Radar Cross Section (RCS) values when operating in a Forward Scattering (FS) radar configuration. However, at these frequencies, the angular width of the forward scattered beam is relatively small, resulting in small beam spots at the ground. In this article, we provide a model of the received signal power and coverage at the ground to analyze the probability of interception of the signal.