<title>Distorting effects on the high-range-resolution profile of a target due to small random rotational motion of the target</title>

Abstract

Small random rotational motion of an aircraft can affect the fidelity of the target's High Range Resolution (HRR) profile. A multiple scattering point-source model has been developed to investigate the distorting effect on a simulated target. Results indicate that even when the target possesses a very small amount of random motion during radar interrogation using a stepped frequency waveform (SFWF) scan, sizeable distortion in the target's range profile can still occur, making target identification more difficult. The well known range walk effect of the target during the SFWF radar scan offers a partial explanation for the distortion of the target's range profile. A more interesting situation emerges when the rotational motion is time-varying; a more severe distortion can occur as a result, leading to a broadening phenomenon and spurious peaks appearing in the target's range profile.