RADAR SYSTEM

PRAKASH RANJAN
MECE-170-2K10
 Outline
• Definition
• Principle of operation
• BASICS of Radar systems
• Range and Direction calculation.
• Radar equation.
• Classification of Radar.
• Radar frequency band.
• Modern radar
• Some Applications
 Definition
• Radar is an acronym which means Radio
Detection and Ranging
• Radar is an object detection system that uses
electromagnetic waves to identify the range,
altitude, direction, elevation or speed of both
moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships,
motor vehicles, weather information etc
 Principle of Operation
• Radar consists of both transmitter and receiver, each
connected to duplexer and parabolic antenna.
• The transmitter is capable of sending out a very large
UHF or micro wave power through the antenna. The
receiver collects as much energy as possible from
echoes reflected in its direction by the target and then
processes and displays this information in suitable
way. The receiving antenna is some how same as
transmitting antenna.
• The radar system is accomplished with time division
multiplexing arrangement. Since the radio energy is
sent in form of pulses.
RADAR operation
RADAR Signal Flow
Simplified radar block diagram
.

Transmitter

Duplexer Antenna Target

Receiver
Display
 PROCESS
• 1. Signal rauting
• 2. Signal Timing
PRT(pulse-repetition time)= and is equal to
the reciprocal of PRF (pulse-repetition
frequency)
• 3. Ranging
R= (t/2).Co
Signal timing
Maximum Unambiguous Range
• A problem with pulsed radars and range
measurement if the target returns a strong echo.
• Rmax or Runamb = C. (PRT-tp)/2
 Radar Waveforms Minimum Range

• This is minimum detectable range (or blind

distance).
• When the leading edge of the echo pulse falls
inside the transmitting pulse, it is impossible to
determine the “round trip time”, which means
that the distance cannot be measured.
• Rmin = ( tp + t recovery ) . C0/2
• t recovery = Recovery time of duplexer
 Direction determination
• The direction to the target is determined by the
directivity of the antenna.
• Directivity is the ability of the antenna to
concentrate the transmitted energy in a
particular direction.
• By measuring the direction in which the antenna
is pointing when the echo is received, both the
azimuth and elevation angles from the radar to
the object or target can be determined
 Continue…
• The True Bearing (referenced to true north) of a
radar target is the angle between true north and
a line pointed directly at the target.
• The elevation angle is the angle between the
horizontal plane and the line of sight, measured
in the vertical plane.
• The bearing angle to the radar target may also
be measured in a clockwise direction from the
centerline of your own ship or aircraft and is
referred to as the relative bearing
Continue…
 Continue..
• Height- The height of a target over the earth's
surface is called height or altitude. (H)
 Radar Equation
• The radar equation represents the physical
dependences of the transmit power, that is the
wave propagation up to the receiving of the
echo-signals.

• Antenna Gain -measure of the antenna's ability

to focus outgoing energy into the directed beam.
 Continue…
• For example, if the focused beam has 50 times
the power of an omni directional antenna with
the same transmitter power, the directional
antenna has a gain of 50
• antenna's aperture, which describes how well
an antenna can pick up power from an incoming
electromagnetic wave
• Antenna gain is directly proportional to aperture
 Continue…
• The size and ability of a target to reflect radar energy
can be summarized into a single term, σt, known as the
radar cross-section RCS, which has units of m².

• Free-space path loss is the loss in signal strength of an

electromagnetic wave that would result from a line-of-
sight path through free space, with no obstacles nearby
to cause reflection or diffraction.
 Continue…
• External and Internal Losses- This is the sum
of all loss factors of the radar

• Some of these losses are unavoidable. Some of

these can be influenced by radar technicians.
 Converting the Equation

• PMDS (Minimum Discernible Signal)- smallest

signal that can be detected by the radar
• This radar equation can be transformed to see
the factors of influence of some technical
characteristics of given radar set.
• Most important property – “fourth-root
dependence”
 MDS- Echo
• The minimum discernible signal is defined as the
useful echo power at the reception antenna,
which gives on the screen a discernible blip
“False Alarm Rate” and “Probability

of Detection”
• FAR=(false targets per PRT) /(number of
rangecells)
• The received and demodulated echo signal is
processed by “threshold logic”
• Probability of detection
Classification of Radar Systems

•
 Continue…
• A Primary Radar transmits high-frequency signals which
are reflected at targets. The arisen echoes are received
and evaluated. This means, unlike secondary radar sets
a primary radar unit receive its own emitted signals as
an echo again.
• Pulse radar sets transmit a high-frequency impulse
signal of high power. After this impulse signal, a longer
break follows in which the echoes can be received,
before a new transmitted signal is sent out.
• CW radar sets transmit a high-frequency signal
continuously. The echo signal is received and processed
permanently too. Uses “Doppler effect”.
 Secondary radar

•
 Continue…
. There are several modes of interrogation each indicated
by the difference in spacing between two transmitter
pulses, known as P1 and P3.
Mode P1&P3 spacing Purpose
A 8micro sec Identity
B 17 Identity
C 21 Altitude
D 25 Undefinied
S 3.5 Multipurpose
Continue…
 Classification of Radar Sets
• Radar systems may be divided into types based
on the designed use.
Radar frequency band
 MODERN RADAR
• Phased Array Radar
• Uses electronic steering of the radar beam technique.
• employ a group of antennas in which the relative phases of
the respective signals feeding the antennas are varied in such
a way that the effective radiation pattern of the array is
reinforced in a desired direction and suppressed in undesired
directions.
• direction can be digitally controlled by a computer within a
matter of tens of milliseconds.
• phased array radar to act as multiple radars each with its own
beam shape and scan pattern! This is referred to as
interleaving radar modes.
 Continue…
• Phased array radars also referred to as passive array
radars.
• the shift in phase of the radar signal comes at a cost of
“losses in the signal” and a “consequent reduction” in
radar sensitivity by factor of 5 ranges.
• steering of the radar beam on a pulse-to-pulse basis,
which is typically at intervals of order 0.001 s.
• The beam can be steered at this rate to any direction in
a typical angular range of +/- 45 degrees.
• This flexible beam steering is in stark contrast to
mechanically scanned radars.
 Continue…
• Active Electronically Steered Array (AESA)
• Instead of shifting the phase of signals from a single high
power transmitter AESA employs a grid of hundreds of
small "transmitter-receiver (TR)" modules that are linked
together by high-speed processors.
• Each TR module has its own transmitter, receiver,
processing power, and a small spike like radiator
antenna on top.
• The TR modules in the AESA system can all work
together to create a powerful radar, but they can do
different tasks in parallel.
• AESA provides 10-30 times more net radar capability.
 Continue…
• The use of multiple TR modules also means failure of up
to 10% of the TR modules in an AESA will not cause the
loss of the antenna function, but merely degrade its
performance.
• Because AESA radars have high power, speed and
sensitivity, they are also ideal tools for electronic
warfare. Threat jamming, protection and counter
measures can be an integral part of the AESA mission
suite, rather than a separate system provided by the host
platform.
• Till today research is going on and only few country has
achieved operational AESA radar.
 Technological Leap
• AESA technology has not been easy to acquire. It has
come from years of research and heavy investments.
• Improvement of gallium arsenide material and the
development of monolithic microwave integrated circuit
(MMIC) have been key enablers to the development of
AESA technology.
• Existing Operational AESA radar:-
• Raytheon AN/APG-77, for the F-22 Raptor(US).
• Elta EL/M-2052, for fighters. Interim candidate for HAL
Tejas (France).
• Zhuk-AE AESA radar for Mig-35 (Russia)
 AESA Radar in India
• India is developing a AESA radar it's own since the 90's
which was kept like a secret until the patent was made
for the T/R(Transmitter/Receiver) module for the AESA
radar.
• many countries are offering their expertise in this field to
India to develop the radar on its own, so, that they can
win the MMRCA (Multirole Medium Range Combat
Aircraft bid - value nearly 12 billion dollar ) .
• Still we are way behind the actual operational AESA
radar.
 Applications of Radar systems
• In aviation, aircrafts are equipped with radar devices that
warn of obstacles in or approaching their path and give
accurate altitude readings.
• Marine Radars are used to measure the bearing and
distance of ships to prevent collision with other ships, to
navigate and to fix their position at sea when within
range of shore or other fixed references such as islands,
buoys, and lightships.
• Police forces use radar guns to monitor vehicle speeds
on the roads.
• Air Traffic control
• Meteorologists used radar for weather forecasting
• And still many more ..

Radar Gun
Any Questions?
 .

THANKING YOU