Improving the Configuration of the Radar System for UAV Detection Based on MIMO Technology

Abstract

The rapid development of technologies used in the development of UAVs leads to rapid improvement of their performance. The use of composite materials, minimization of components, and high speed make such targets difficult to detect by traditional radar systems. Reduced costs, evolution of communication channels and control algorithms allow for the use of a large number of devices simultaneously. The need for accurate detection and tracking of such aircraft determines the requirements for high angle resolution. When using traditional radar systems, there is a contradiction that to ensure high angle resolution, it is necessary to increase the number of antenna array elements and, accordingly, its aperture. The latter leads to an increase in the visibility of such systems, and it also imposes requirements for the manufacture of the antenna array, namely, the placement of antenna elements, since errors in their position lead to a decrease in the accuracy of determining the target position. The proposed approach to resolve this contradiction is the development of radar systems using MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology changes the structure of the radar system, but the introduction of the concept of a virtual antenna array allows the use of existing radar information processing algorithms without changes. Also, this technology allows for flexible formation of the virtual array pattern. This provides additional opportunities for space scanning and simultaneous observation of many targets. The use of orthogonal signals during transmission worsens the energy characteristics of the system, but the possibility of independent formation of sensing signals allows, if necessary, to return to the classical phased array. However, some of the disadvantages of this technology are its high computational complexity and the need for parallel processing of a large amount of information. These limitations were critical in the past, but at the moment the level of development of electronic computing facilities is sufficient to use MIMO technology, and minimization ensures manufacturability of production.