SEARCH RADAR RANGE EQUATION

We now want to study an extension to the radar range equation that is

used to analyze and design search radars. Its most common use is in gross
sizing search radars in terms of power and physical size. In fact, the measure
of performance that is usually used to characterize these types of radars is
power-aperture product,
A e
P A , which is the product of the average power and
the effective antenna area of the radar.
To start, we assume that the radar must search an angular region, or
sector, which we denote by . has the units of rad
2
, or steradians. If the
azimuth and elevation extents of the sector to be searched is small,
steradians
AZ EL
(44)
where
AZ
and
EL
are the azimuth and elevation extents of the search
sector, in radians. The implication of (44) is that the search sector is a
rectangle in azimuth and elevation space. In fact, the area can be any shape
and represented in any appropriate coordinate system. One of the more
common search sectors is section of the surface of a sphere bounded by
some elevation and azimuth extents. An example of such a surface is shown
in Figure 5. In this figure the azimuth extent is and the elevation extent
goes from
1
to
2
. As shown in Appendix 1, the angular area of this search
sector is
( )
0
2 cos sin 2 steradians (45)
where ( )
0 2 1
2 + and
2 1
and all angles are in radians.
Earlier it was shown that the angular area of the beam could be written
as
2 2
m
beam A A B
A K R . (46)
Dividing by
2
R
results in an angular beam area of
steradians
beam A A B
K . (47)
The number of beams required to cover the search sector is
beam A A B
n K . (48)
Equation (48) is ideal in that it essentially assumes a rectangular search
sector and rectangular beams. In practice, the number of beams required to
fill a search sector is given by
pack beam
n K
(49)
where
pack
K
is a packing factor that accounts for the fact that the beams are
actually circular (or elliptic) and that there is some overlap of the beams. A
typical value for the packing factor for the case of hexagonal packing with 3-
dB beam overlap is
4 3
pack
K
.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 5 Search Sector Illustration
15
Recall that one of the parameters of the search radar range equation is
the average power,
A
P . If a radar has a pulse width of
p

and a PRI of T the

average power is
( )
A T p T
P P T P d (50)
where d is defined as the duty cycle of the radar.
On of the requirements imposed on a search radar is that it cover the
search sector in
S
T seconds. This means that the radar must process signals
from n beams in
S
T
seconds. With this, the time allowed to each beam is
beam S
T T n . (51)
If we allow one PRI per beam we get
beam S
T T T n . (52)
From (48) we have
A A B
n K which, with (52) results in
S A A b
T T K . (53)
Finally, using
p
d T
results in
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 5 Search Sector Illustration
16
p
S A A B
d
T K

. (54)
If we substitute (54) and (50) into the radar range equation we get
( ) ( )
( )
( )
2 2
3 3
4 4
0 0
2
3
4
0
2
3
4
0
4 4
4
4
T T R p T R p
A
n n
T R p
A
p
n
S A A B
S A A B A T R
n
P G G G G
P
SNR
d
R kT F L R kT F L
G G
P
R kT F L
T K
T K P G G
R kT F L

. (55)
For the last step we use (7) and (27) in (55) to arrive at the final search radar
range equation of
4
0
4
A e S
n
P A T
SNR
R kT F L

(56)
We note that (56) does not contain an explicit dependence upon operating
frequency (via ), antenna gain or pulse width, as does the standard radar
range equation. This can be of value in performing first-cut search radar
designs in that we neednt specify a lot of parameters. This can be done
after the first-cut design is completed.
EXAMPLE
As an interesting example we consider a requirement placed on search
radars used for ballistic missile defense. Specifically, the SALT I treaty
specifies that the power aperture product be limited to 310
6
w-m
2
. Given
this limitation, we wish to perform a first cut design of a radar to be used for
ballistic missile search.
We start by assuming that we want to search a region of space that
extends from 0 to 45 degrees in elevation and 30 degrees in azimuth.
Further, we want to cover the search sector in 10 seconds. The targets of
interest have a RCS of -10 dBsm and we need to achieve a SNR of 13 dB to
declare a detection. Current technology can support a noise figure of 4 dB
and total losses of 6 dB. We want to determine the detection range of the
radar.
Solving (56) for R results in
( )
1 4
0
4
A e S
n
P A T
R
SNR kT F L

,
. (57)
All of the parameters except have been specified. We can compute
from (45) as
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
17
( ) ( ) ( )
0
2 cos sin 2 2 cos 8 sin 8 0.118
6

_


,
. (58)
With this we find
( )
1 4
6
21 0.4 0.6
3 10 0.1 10
948 Km
4 10 4 10 10 10 0.118
R

_




,
. (59)
Lets carry the above further and see if we can establish some more of
the characteristics of this radar. We start by placing the requirement that the
radar operate unambiguously in range. The means that we need to choose
the PRI, T, to satisfy
5
8
2 2 9.48 10
0.00632 s 6.32 ms
3 10
R
T
c

>

. (60)
We will choose 6.5 ms T .
If we devote 1 PRI per beam then, over 10 seconds we would need to
transmit and receive
10
1539 beams
0.0065
S
T
n
T
. (61)
If we assume a circular beam we can use (48) to calculate the beam width
from
0.118
0.0121 rad 0.7
1.65 1539
B
A
K n

o
. (62)
We choose to operate the radar at L-band. This gives a wavelength of
8
9
3 10
0.3 m
10
c
c
f

. (63)
From (12) we have
( )
2 2
25, 000 25, 000
51020 w/w 47.1 dB
0.7
T R
B
G G

(64)
We can next use (27) to write
( )
2
2
2
51020 0.3
365.4 m
4 4
R
e
G
A



. (65)
If we assume an efficiency of 60%, we get a physical area of
2
0.6 365.4 / 0.6 609 m
physical e
A A . (66)
Finally, if we assume a circular aperture we obtain an antenna diameter of
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 6 Cone Geometry F
Figure 7 Ideal Reentry Vehicle RCS Nose-on Aspect
18
4
27.8 m
phisical
A
D

(67)
which is approximately the height of a 7 story building.
As a final calculation, we want the peak power of the radar. We
assume that we want a range resolution of 150 m, which translates to a pulse
width of 1 s. With the computed PRI of 6.5 ms we get a duty cycle of
6 3
10 6.5 10 0.00154%
p
d T

, (68)
From (65) and the given average power aperture of 310
6
w-m
2
we compute
an average power of
6
3 10
8210.2 w
365.4
A e
A
e
P A
P
A

(69)
From this and (68) we compute a peak power of
8210.2 0.000154 53.4 Mw
T A
P P d (70)
which is larger than desired. One way to reduce the peak power requirement
would be to use a longer pulse and employ pulse compression. If we would
go to a 100 s we would reduce the peak power to 534 Kw, which is a much
more reasonable value.
At this point we have a preliminary design for a search radar. In
practice this would serve as a starting point for a much more detailed design.
RADAR CROSS SECTION
At this time we want to turn our attention to some of the other
parameters of the radar range equation. In particular, we want to discuss
radar cross section, or RCS. RCS is defined by
power reradiated toward the source per unit solid angle
incident power density 4

. (71)
The units of the numerator of (71) are watts while the units of the
denominator are watts/m
2
. Thus, the units of RCS is m
2
, as discussed earlier.
Two of the key phrases in the definition of (71) are reradiated and toward
the source. This says that the RCS parameter attempts to capture, in a
single number, the ability of the target to capture energy from the radar and
reradiate it back toward the radar.
In general, computation of target RCS is very complicated. In fact,
except for some very simple surfaces, RCS can only be approximately
computed. In fact, there is a large amount of current research in methods to
more reliably predict the RCS characteristics of practical targets.
In general, the RCS of a target depends upon its physical size.
However this is not always the case. An example of the case where RCS
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 6 Cone Geometry F
Figure 7 Ideal Reentry Vehicle RCS Nose-on Aspect F
Figure 8 RCSs of Some Simple Shapes
19
depends upon physical size is a sphere. Specifically, the RCS of a sphere of
radius r is
2
r
(72)
provided r ? .
A case where RCS does not depend upon physical size is a cone where
the nose of the cone is facing toward the radar, as shown in Figure 6. For the
case of Figure 6 the RCS is given by
( )
2
4
tan
16

. (73)
In this case it will be noted that the RCS is proportional to wavelength but is
not dependent on the overall size of the cone. If the cone had any other
orientation relative to the line-of-sight (LOS) to the radar (see Figure 6 for a
definition of LOS), its RCS would depend upon the length of the cone and the
diameter of bhe base. Also, if the point of the cone was not perfectly sharp,
as shown in the case of Figure 7, the RCS will depend upon the size of the
nose.
In most cases, the RCS is dependent on both the size of the object and
the radar wavelength. Examples of other simple shapes and their RCSs are
contained in Figure 8. For the case of the chaff dipole, it appears as if the
RCS depends only upon wavelength. However, as implied in the figure, the
given equation for RCS applies only to the case where the length of the chaff
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 6 Cone Geometry F
Figure 7 Ideal Reentry Vehicle RCS Nose-on Aspect F
Figure 8 RCSs of Some Simple Shapes F
Figure 9 Normalized RCS of a sphere vs. Normalized Size
20
dipole is equal to the wavelength. If one were to consider all orientations of a
wavelength chaff dipole, the average RCS would be
2
0.15
avg
.
A classical plot in RCS theory is shown in Figure 9. This figure contains
a plot of normalized RCS versus normalized radius for a sphere. It provides
an illustration that the RCS of an object is generally a complicated function of
both the size of the object and the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave
that impinges on the object.
If the object size is less than a wavelength we say that the object is in
the Rayleigh region of the incident electromagnetic wave. In this region, the
RCS of the object is a function of the size of the object relative to a
wavelength. As an example, for the sphere case illustrated in Figure 9 the
sphere RCS in the Rayleigh region is given by
( ) ( )
2
4
4 2
4
3
80
ray
r r . (74)
The most common example of the case where an object size is on the
order of a wavelength is the case of rain or clouds. Another example would
be insects.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 8 RCSs of Some Simple Shapes F
Figure 9 Normalized RCS of a sphere vs. Normalized Size
21
The center region of Figure 9 is termed the resonance, or Mie, region.
The Mie designation is in honor or the person that developed the equation for
the curve of Figure 9. In this region the object size is on the order of a
wavelength and the the RCS is transitioning from being dependent upon both
object size and wavelength to being dependent mainly on object size. As
indicated in this figure, the RCS can often appear to be larger than dictated
by object size. Typical objects that could be in the resonance region would
be birds, bullets, artillery shells, some missiles and very small aircraft.
The third RCS region is termed the optical region and is where most
objects fall. As indicated, it this region the object is much larger than a
wavelength. Further, the RCS is (or can be) a strong function of the size of
the object.
In general, the RCS of an object depends upon the orientation of the
object relative to the LOS. As an example, the RCS of the flat plate illustrated
in Figure 10 is given by
( )
[ ] [ ]
2
2 2
2 2 2 2
sinc sin cos sinc sin sin
0.5 1 sin cos 1 sin sin
2 , 1, 1
kdw
kd kw
k kw kd

1
+
]
? ?
(75)
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 9 Normalized RCS of a sphere vs. Normalized Size F
Figure 10 RCS of a Flat Plate
22
where ( ) ( ) ( ) sinc sin x x x .
A plot of

versus is also shown in Figure 10 for a flat plate with

1 m d w and 0 and 0.3 m (L-band). As can be seen, the RCS varies
significantly as the angle of the LOS changes. It will also be noted that the
peak RCS is significantly larger than the 1-m
2
area of the plate.
Most targets of interest are not the simple shapes indicated thus far.
In fact, targets such as airplanes consist of many different shapes that are in
different orientations. Further, as the targets move relative to the radar LOS
the relative orientations of the various shapes change significantly. As a
result, a typical plot of target RCS versus orientation relative to the LOS is a
very complex looking plot. The classical plot that illustrates this variation of
RCS is given in Figure 2-15 of the text, which is duplicated in Figure 11 below.
This figure shows the measured variation in RCS of a B-26 bomber as a
function of azimuth orientation relative to the LOS. As can be seen, the RCS
varies by quite a large amount and in a random looking fashion. If one
considers that the orientation of the aircraft will change continually as the
aircraft flies toward the radar, the angular variation in RCS will translate to a
time variation of RCS that would look random.
In an attempt to capture target RCS fluctuation effects in a
mathematical model that could be easily used in detection studies, Peter
Swerling developed statistical representations of RCS that are commonly
referred to as the Swerling RCS models. There are four Swerling models
termed Swerling 1, Swerling 2, Swerling 3 and Swerling 4. Many radar
analysts refer to a fifth Swerling model that is termed Swerling 0 or Swerling
5. The fifth Swerling model is defined as a target that has a constant RCS.
This Swerling model would be representative of a sphere since the ideal RCS
of a sphere is constant over orientation angle and time.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 10 RCS of a Flat Plate F
Figure 11 Experimental RCS of a B-26 Bomber at 10-cm Wavelength.
From Introduction to Radar Systems by M. I. Skolnik, 3
rd
edition
23
The four models Swerling attempt to represent differences in both
statistical and temporal variations in RCS. The statistical properties of
Swerling 1 and Swerling 2 RCS variations (which we will refer to Swerling 1 or
Swerling 2 targets, or SW1 and SW2 targets) are the same and are governed
by the density function
( ) ( )
1
AV
AV
f e U

(76)
where ( ) U is the unit step function. Equation (76) is the equation for an
exponential density function.
AV
is the average RCS of the target and is the
value that would be used in the radar range equation.
The statistical properties of SW3 and SW4 targets are also the same
and are governed by the density function
( ) ( )
2
2
4
AV
AV
f e U

. (77)
Equation (77) is a Chi-squared, two degree of freedom density function.
Again,
AV
is the average RCS of the target.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 10 RCS of a Flat Plate F
Figure 11 Experimental RCS of a B-26 Bomber at 10-cm Wavelength.
From Introduction to Radar Systems by M. I. Skolnik, 3
rd
edition
Figure 12 RCS Density Functions for Swerling RCS Models F
Figure 13 RCS vs. Time for SW2 and SW4 Targets
24
The difference between a SW1 and SW2 target lies in the difference in
the time variation of RCS. Likewise for the difference between a SW3 and
SW4 target. With a SW1 or SW3 target the RCS fluctuates slowly over time
and with a SW2 or SW4 target the RCS fluctuates rapidly over time. In the
classical definitions, SW1 and SW3 targets are said to change RCS on a scan-
to-scan basis and SW2 and SW4 targets are said to change RCS on a pulse-to-
pulse basis.
Plots of the density functions of (76) and (77) are shown in Figure 12.
The plots of Figure 12 indicate that the RCS values for SW1 and SW2 targets
are concentrated at small values (values below
AV
) whereas the RCS values
for SW3 and SW4 targets are concentrated at values fairly close to the
average RCS. This is further illustrated in Figure 13 which contains plots of
RCS versus dimensionless time for SW2 and SW4 targets. As will be noted,
the RCS values for the SW2 case tend to vary significantly and stay well
below the average RCS of 0 dBsm (1 m
2
) whereas the RCS values for the SW4
case tend to cluster around a value slightly below the average RCS of 0
dBsm.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 11 Experimental RCS of a B-26 Bomber at 10-cm Wavelength.
From Introduction to Radar Systems by M. I. Skolnik, 3
rd
edition
Figure 12 RCS Density Functions for Swerling RCS Models F
Figure 13 RCS vs. Time for SW2 and SW4 Targets F
Figure 14 SW1 and SW2 RCS Model
25
As was indicated earlier, the difference between SWodd (SW1, SW3)
targets and SWeven (SW2, SW4) targets lies in the rate at which the RCS is
assumed to vary. It was stated that the SWodd model assumes that the RCS
changes on a scan-to-scan basis. In the search RRE discussions we referred
to a search volume (see Figure 5) and indicated that the search radar covers
the search volume within a certain time we termed
S
T . This process of
covering the search volume is termed a scan and
S
T is termed the scan time.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 12 RCS Density Functions for Swerling RCS Models F
Figure 13 RCS vs. Time for SW2 and SW4 Targets F
Figure 14 SW1 and SW2 RCS Model F
Figure 15 Sample RCS Variations
26
If we were using a SWodd target model in the search radar analysis we would
assume that the RCS changed from scan to scan but stayed constant during
the scan. Thus, we would assume that the RCS changed every
S
T seconds,
but stayed constant over any specific
S
T interval. If we were using a SWeven
target model we would assume that the target RCS changed every PRI, or
every T seconds. Thus, the SWeven RCS models imply rapid RCS fluctuation
whereas the SWodd models imply slow RCS fluctuation. This difference in
RCS fluctuation models is illustrated in Figure 14, which is a plot of RCS
versus pulse number, or PRI for the two cases. For the SW1 model the RCS
changes every 50 pulses and the RCS changes every pulse for the SW2
model.
The concept of SWodd and SWeven represents an idealization that is
not achieved in practice. Actual targets exhibit RCS variations that lie
somewhere between SWodd and SWeven. How close the fluctuation lies to
either model depends upon the complexity of the target, the operating
frequency of the radar and the time between RCS observations. As an
example, we consider the 5-point target model of Homework 5. In this
example we fly the target model toward the radar with a constant x-
velocity of 150 m/s and a y-velocity of zero. The center starts at x=20,000 m
and y=5,000 m. We assume that all of the scatterers have the same RCS (1
m
2
) and compute the composite RCS (the total RCS of all five scatterers) as a
function of time.
Figure 15 contains plots of composite RCS over a 3-second interval for
the case where the carrier frequency is 8.136 GHz (low X-band) and 97.632
GHz (W-band or high MMW).
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 14 SW1 and SW2 RCS Model F
Figure 15 Sample RCS Variations
27
For the X-band case, the RCS remains fairly constant for time periods
of 10s of milliseconds. However, over periods of seconds the RCS variation
becomes unpredictable (i.e. random). Thus, at X-band, this target exhibits a
RCS behavior that is consistent with a SWodd target.
For the MMW case the RCS variation (with time) is much more rapid so
that the RCS varies significantly over time intervals of 10s of milliseconds. In
this case, it might be appropriate to represent the target with a SWeven
model.
To understand the above relation between RCS variation rate and
operating frequency we need to consider how the signals from the scatterers
combine to form the composite signal in the radar. We start by considering
the unmodulated pulse we discussed earlier. For this case we can write the
voltage pulse at the transmitter output as
( )
2
rect
c
j f t
T T
p
t
v t V e

1
1
]
. (78)
This voltage is converted to an electric field by the antenna and propagates
to the target which creates another electric field. The electric field created
by the target propagates back to the radar where the antenna converts it to a
voltage. If the target is a sphere (a point scatterer) the voltage at the
antenna output, or some point in the receiver (before the matched filter), can
be written as
( )
( ) 2 2
2
rect
c
j f t R c
R R
p
t R c
v t V e

1
1
]
. (79)
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 15 Sample RCS Variations
28
In (78) and (79)
T T
V P (80)
and
( )
2
3
4
4
T T R
R S
P G G
V P
R L

. (81)
If we have N point targets clustered close together their electric fields,
at the radar, will add so that the total voltage in the radar receiver is
( )
( ) 2 2
1
2
rect
c k
N
j f t R c
k
R Rk
k p
t R c
v t V e

1
1
]

(82)
where
( )
2
3
4
4
T T R
Rk k
k
P G G
V
R L

. (83)
If we assume that the scatterers are close together so that the various
k
R are
close to the average range to the cluster, R , we can write
( )
( ) 2 2
1
2
rect
c k
N
j f t R c
R k
k p
t R c
v t K e

1
_

1

, 1
]

(84)
where
( )
2
3
4
4
T T R
P G G
K
R L

. (85)
With some manipulation we can rewrite (84) as
( )
4 2
1
2
rect
k c
N
j R j f t
R k
k p
t R c
v t K e e

1
_

1

, 1
]

. (86)
Finally, if we define

as the net RCS of the N point scatterers we can write

( )
2
2
rect
c
j f t j
R
p
t R c
v t K e e

1
1
]
(87)
where
2
4
1
k
N
j R
k
k
e

(88)
and
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 16 Two-Scatterer RCS Problem
29
4
1
arg
k
N
j R
k
k
e

. (89)
With some thought, it will be observed that

is a strong function of
k
R . Indeed, variations in
k
R of 2 can cause the phase of the voltage from
the
th
k
scatterer to vary by 2 . Thus, it doesnt take much relative
movement of the scatterers to dramatically affect the value of the sum in
(88). Also, as the carrier frequency increases, decreases and smaller
changes in the relative positions of the scatterers can have larger effects on
the variations of

, the total RCS.

The above is what led to the difference in RCS variation in
demonstrated Figure 15. In both cases (top plot and bottom plot) the
changes in the relative positions of the scatterers is the same over the 3-
second time period considered. However, at the lower carrier frequency (top
plot) the relative positions change by less than a wavelength over the 3
second period. On the other hand, for the higher frequency the relative
positions change by several wavelengths.
Our discussions of the Swerling RCS models have thus far been
theoretical. To be of use in practical radar problems we need to attempt to
relate the various models to actual targets. One of the standard assumptions
is that the SW1/SW2 RCS fluctuation model (described by (76)) is associated
with complex targets such as aircraft, tanks, ships, cruise missiles, etc.
These would be targets that have a large number of surfaces and joints with
different orientations. In practice, detection measurements indicate that,
indeed, the SW1/SW2 model provides a good representation of complex
targets. The reason for this lies in the central limit theorem and some
properties of Gaussian random variables.
The standard assumption concerning the SW3/SW4 fluctuation model
is that it applies to somewhat simple targets such as bullets, artillery shells,
reentry vehicles and the like. It turns out that the model is consistent with a
target that consists of a predominant scatterer and several smaller
scatterers. In practice, the SW3/SW4 target model doesnt do a very good
job of predicting detection performance against the aforementioned target
types. However, it appears to work better than the SW1/SW2 target model
and the constant RCS model (SW0 or SW5).
AN EXAMPLE
In preparation for Homework 5 we want to consider a classic problem
termed the two scatterer problem. In this problem we seek to find the
composite RCS of two, equal size, scatterers separated by a distance of 2d .
The geometry for this problem is shown in Figure 16.
We can write the positions of the two scatterers in the , r r

coordinate
system as
( ) ( )
1 1
, cos , sin r r r d d

+ (90)
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 16 Two-Scatterer RCS Problem F
Figure 17 RCS Variation for Two Scatterers -
30
and
( ) ( )
2 2
, cos , sin r r r d d

. (91)
The ranges to the two scatterers are
( ) ( )
2 2
2 2
1
cos sin 2 cos R r d d r d rd + + + +
(92)
and
( ) ( )
2 2
2 2
2
cos sin 2 cos R r d d r d rd + +
. (93)
If we assume r d ? we can write
1
cos R r d + (94)
and
2
cos R r d . (95)
With this we get, from (88)
2
2
2
4
1
k
j R
k
k
e x

. (96)
Manipulating, we get
( ) ( )
2
4
1
4 cos 4 cos 4 4
1 2
k
j R
k
k
j d j d j r j r
x e
e e e e

. (97)
With
1 2 0
we get
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 16 Two-Scatterer RCS Problem F
Figure 17 RCS Variation for Two Scatterers -
31
( ) ( )
( )
4 cos 4 cos 4
0
4
0
4 cos
2 cos
j d j d j r
j r
x e e e
d
e

+
_

,
. (98)
Finally, from (96) we get
2
0
4 cos
4 cos
d

,
. (99)
Figure 17 contains plots of

versus for 1 d and 3 d with

2
0
1 m .
As can be seen, the degree to which

varies as a function of depends

upon the separation of the scatterers relative to the radar wavelength.
2005 M. C. Budge, Jr
Figure 17 RCS Variation for Two Scatterers -
32