The Radar Range Equation For The Detection Of Steady Targets In Weibull Clutter

In this thesis, the detection characteristics of a steady target immersed in radar clutter characterized by returns statistically modeled according to a Weibull probability density function are developed. A detector model is developed by modifying an envelope detection scheme used to detect deterministic signals in Gaussian noise. By examining the statistics of the detector output under alternate hypotheses, an expression for the probability of detection (P sub d) is developed in terms of the probability of false alarm (P sub fa), the signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR), and the Weibull skewness parameter (b), which is a function of the type of terrain causing the clutter. This expression is used in conjunction with a form of the radar range equation for area clutter to describe the relationship between p sub d, p sub fa, SCR, b, and the radar detection range. This relationship involves Marcum's Q sub d function and an algorithm is presented which evaluates this function. The algorithm is a series approximation, also presented as a recursive relationship, that can be computed to a desired precision. Plots of P sub d versus SCR and P sub d versus range are developed for various values of p sub fa and b. The plots provide a means of evaluating the detector performance and predicting the radar detection range for several values of b.