This chapter introduces some of the major radar concepts that will be described in greater detail in subsequent chapters. One key concept, however, is covered primarily in this chapter: the radar range equation (RRE). Although specific forms of the RRE are discussed in other chapters, its derivation and definitions of all major terms are covered here. The remainder of the chapter provides an overview of other significant radar concepts.

This chapter describes the waveforms employed by radars, introduces the concept of the optimal matched filter processor and discusses some common signal processing implementations used in phased-array radars.

This chapter covers the concepts of parameter estimation, target tracking, and data association algorithms used to enable multiple-target tracking in real-world environments. The topics covered in this chapter include: parameter estimation for radar; the radar tracking function; waveforms and signal processing; types of tracking filters; alpha-beta and alpha-beta-gamma - Kalman - extended-Kalman - interacting multiple-model; data association algorithms; nearest-neighbor - probabilistic data association (PDA) -joint PDA (JPDA) - nearest neighbor-JPDA - multi-hypothesis tracking (MHT) - other assignment algorithms; tracking air targets; aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) - cruise missiles; tracking ballistic missile targets; TBMs, IRBMs, ICBMs; tracking surface targets; ships and vehicles.

This chapter covers a variety of radar data processing algorithms used by phased-array radars (PARs). These algorithms are usually implemented in software, many of them in a mission application computer program and others in areas such as signal processing and alignment and calibration software. Unlike the previous chapters that treat topics covered in many theory and application texts, these topics are not usually discussed in radar systems books. They are often covered in technical journal papers and related literature, but not in a unified treatment. The objective of this chapter is to collect these data processing algorithms in one place, organized by algorithm purpose and type.

This chapter examines some common phased-array radar (PAR) architectures used for many applications. Three general categories of architectures are described: antenna-based; bandwidth-based; and radar function-based.

A fundamental step in the design of phased-array radars is to allocate system-level radar requirements to hardware and software subsystems. This chapter addresses this topic for the hardware and software subsystems and components thereof that constitute the majority of phased-array radar systems.

This chapter deals with some aspects of early warning radar design. Topics covered include: early warning mission parameters and requirements; target/threat types; desired surveillance and associated functions; performance evaluation; and design validation.

The performance evaluation of phased-array radars is addressed in this chapter. Topics covered include: target detection; radar tracking; interference suppression; clutter cancellation performance; and hardware subsystems.