FM radio based bistatic radar

TLDR

An experimental bistatic radar using a non‑cooperative FM radio transmitter detects and tracks targets beyond 150 km, employing adaptive filtering to suppress interference, Doppler‑sensitive cross‑correlation for efficient detection, a constant false alarm rate scheme, and a Kalman‑filter based association algorithm. Representative system results, validated against air‑traffic‑control truth data, confirm the radar’s detection and tracking performance.

Abstract

An experimental bistatic radar system is described that detects and tracks targets to ranges in excess of 150 km from the receiver, using echoes from a non-cooperative FM radio transmitter. The system concept and limitations on performance are described, followed by details of the processing used to implement the system. An adaptive filter algorithm is described that is used to efficiently remove interference and strong clutter signals from the receiver channels. A computationally efficient algorithm for target detection using Doppler-sensitive cross-correlation techniques is described. A simple constant false alarm rate algorithm for target detection is described, together with a description of a Kalman filter based target association algorithm. Representative results from the system are provided and compared to truth data derived from air traffic control data.