Radar Ambiguities | Knowing if a Target is Coming or Going

Radar systems are able to detect, track, and measure minuscule targets at stupendous ranges. One of the techniques exploited to achieve this is the combination of multiple returns from a single target in a manner similar to that used when sampling signals. But as seen in a previous webinar, sampling is linked to ambiguities - cases where the true properties of a signal cannot be unambiguously determined - and the same is true of radar systems.

Range and Doppler ambiguities have different underlying causes and place conflicting requirements on a radar system. The result is that it is often impossible to remove all ambiguities, especially in cases such as airborne radar where almost everything - including the earth - is moving relative to the radar. The challenges caused by ambiguities in airborne radar are seen by the fact that look-down/shoot-down systems only became operational after the development of digital computers.

This webinar will explore mechanisms underlying range and Doppler ambiguities in radar, along with the effects such as blind ranges and velocities. The concept of low-, medium-,and high-PRF operation will be explored, along with approaches to resolving ambiguities.