Carrier-free signal design for look-down radars

The detection of low flying targets with small radar cross section (RCS), known as low observables, such as cruise missiles and stealth airplanes adds a new dimension to radar signal design and radar signal processing. A high resolution look-down radar is very attractive since it takes advantage of target shape to overcome difficulties encountered with small RCS. The look-down geometry, however, imposes three requirements: 1) the radar should detect targets with small relative velocities from almost zero to about the velocity of sound with no blind speeds, 2) it should minimize ground clutter by using short pulses, and 3) the radar signal must have a thumbtack ambiguity function. We investigate a look-down radar that eliminates time side lobes of compressed signal correlation functions to improve range resolution, reduces ground clutter to enhance receiver dynamic range, and uses thumbtack resolution function to resolve moving low observable targets from the surface of the Earth. The side lobe elimination technique transforms the correlation function of a coded waveform, based on complementary codes, to the correlation function of a single pulse. Features of side lobe elimination technique along with clutter cancellation circuits are presented in terms of blind speeds and range-velocity resolution function