A Study of the Feasibility of Using 35GHz and/or 94GHz as a Means of Improving Low Angle Tracking Capability.

摘要

Millimeter-wave radar systems was analyzed to determine their low-angle tracking capability. The narrow beamwidths that can be obtained at these frequencies with antennas of reasonable size permit a target to be resolved in angle from its image. Because of the severe effects of tropospheric attenuation,the study was limited to two frequency bands, 35and 94GHz,which lie near the principal minima of the attenuation curve. Theoretical expressions for radar tracking accuracy,together with existing attenuation data,have been used to compare the performance of realizable 35-GHz (K sub a-band) and 94-GHz (W-band) radars with that of an existing 5280-MHz (C-band) radar. An antenna diameter of 12feet was assumed for all three systems. It is found that the tracking range of the millimeter-wave radars is limited severely by atmospheric effects and by state-of-the-art transmitters and receivers. But there is a significant increase,as compared with the C-band radar,in the extent of the low angle region within which precision (0.1mil) tracking can be realized. (Author)