Trends in Radar, a U.S. Army Research Laboratory Perspective

摘要

Today's military radars are being challenged to satisfy multiple mission requirements and operate in complex, dynamic electromagnetic (EM) environments. They are simultaneously constrained by practical considerations like cost, size, weight and power (SWaP), and lifecycle requirements. Tomorrow's radars need to be resilient to changing operating environments and capable of doing more with fewer resources. Radar research supports this shift toward more agile and efficient radar systems, and current trends include modular hardware and software development for multi-purpose, scalable radio frequency (RF) solutions. Software-defined radios (SDRs) and other commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology are being used for flexible waveform generation, signal processing, and nontraditional radar applications. Adaptive RF technology, including apertures and other front-end components, are being developed for multi-purpose functionality and resiliency. Together, these research trends will result in a technology framework for more robust future systems that are capable of implementing cognitive processing techniques and adapting their behavior to meet the demands of a congested and contested EM environment.