Iterative multi-target detection for PA-FDA dual-mode radar

Abstract

In this paper, the multi-target detection for joint phased array (PA) and frequency diverse array (FDA) radars, referred to as PA-FDA dual-mode radar, is investigated by exploiting the high transmit power efficiency of PA as well as wide spatial coverage of FDA. The PA-FDA dual-mode radar is formulated in a signal-level fusion manner by combining the PA and the FDA, which enables us to exploit the joint information in the PA-FDA dual-mode radar. In the sequel, an iterative multi-target detection method is devised with two main steps: i) the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) is performed, which provides the knowledge of target parameters, and ii) the conditional-cancelation-before-detection GLRT (CCBD-GLRT) detector is carried out, which detects other targets based on the previous detection knowledge. At the analysis stage, the optimal detector is provided for the signal-level fusion of PA and FDA radars. Moreover, the corresponding analytical expressions of the probabilities of detection as well as the probabilities of false alarm with respect to both the developed GLRT and CCBD-GLRT detectors are derived for multi-target detection. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed multi-target detection method is effective and the PA-FDA dual-mode radar outperforms the PA and the FDA radars.