MMW radar for dedicated bird detection at airports and airfields

Abstract

A 94 GHz millimeter-wave (MMW) radar has been designed, built, and demonstrated for dedicated bird detection at airports and airfields during aircraft final approach and departure. The radar classifies birds or bird flocks by their bio mass (assumed proportional to their radar cross section) and identifies the range, azimuth, and elevation position of the birds. The maximum bird detection range is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km). Radar cost is low due, in part, to the use of a unique antenna that scans without gimbals or phased array components. The radar design is based on analyses tbat examined operating frequency (i.e., available power sources, spatial resolution, and atmospheric atteuuation produced by rain) and detection range as a function of post processing time (i.e., integration time) and transmitted waveform parameters.