Radar Transmitters

Abstract

The radar transmitter subsystem generates the radiofrequency (RF) energy required for the illumination of a remotely situated target of interest. Targets may include aircraft, ships, missiles and even weather phenomena such as rain, snow, and clouds. The radar transmitters described in this chapter includes three basic elements: (1) a radiofrequency oscillator or power amplifier, (PA); (2) a modulator (either analog or digital); and (3) a power supply that provides the high voltages (HVs) and currents typically required in modern radar transmitters. Depending on the specific application, the peak powers generated by the radar transmitter can range from milliwatts to gigawatts. The carrier frequency can range from 3 to 30 MHz (high-frequency [HF] over-the-horizon [OTH] radars) to frequencies as high as 94 GHz (millimeter wave [MMW] radars). However, the majority of today's civilian and military search-and-track radar systems operate in the frequency range from 300 MHz to 12 GHz and typically generate an average power ranging from tens to hundreds of kilowatts. Both thermionic tube-type transmitters and solid-state transmitters are used, depending on the application.