Nonparametric Detector Performance for Active Sonar in Ocean Reverberation Background with Multiple False Targets Jamming

Abstract

Passive sonar, which used to be the most effective device for submarine detection, cannot satisfy the requirement of anti-submarine operation after the appearance of quiet submarine decades ago, and active sonar is playing a more important role. Active sonar often works in reverberation limited condition in shallow water area because of the strong backscattering of the sea bottom. Unlike the volume reverberation often encountered by sonar working in deep ocean, bottom reverberation is usually not Rayleigh distributed. Experiment results show that the sea bottom reverberation is more likely to be k-distributed, thus the nonparametric detector, such as generalize sign detector, is more suitable for active sonar working in shallow water area. Multiple false targets can decrease the detection possibility of parametric and nonparametric CF AR detector, and usually used as an important method to counter active sonar. F rom Monte Carlo simulation, it is shown that only several false targets are needed to make the active sonar detection performance decline severely when it is using nonparametric detector in ocean reverberation background.