Space-Time Adaptive Processing For Airborne Non-side-looking Array Radars

The clutter suppression for airborne radars can be implemented by a space time filter. The researches on Space Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) has been very popular since Brennan proposed the theory of optimum full rank STAP for suppressing clutter. And the focus is always concentrated on reduced rank STAP, for its smaller computation and better performance proven in practice. However, almost techniques have been used in airborne forward looking radars for clutter suppression, barely in non side looking array radars. Based on this, this paper studies the space time adaptive processing performance of airborne non side looking array radars, which has a great signification since the non side looking array radars are necessary for omnidirectional scan. There are two parts: first, three common used reduced rank STAP methods, including Extended Factored Approach (EFA or mDT), Joint Domain Localized (JDL) and∑△STAP, are discussed. And the simulation result proves that the clutter of non side looking array radars can be considerably reduced by using these three methods. Second, the near range clutter of non side looking array radars shows high nonhomogeneity, which is presented by the range doppler curve: the doppler value changes with the range. This paper gives a new non average subsection method to restrict the near range clutter within a special area in the range doppler clutter figure so that the result of clutter suppressing in other area can meet our expection. The principle and implement process of the non average subsection method are studied in detail. By comparison with several other subsection methods, this method mentioned before is effective, reasonable and considerate.