On the equivalence of characteristics and specularity in the construction of traditional and MIMO radars with a parallel view of space based on antenna arrays

Objectives. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid in radar theory and practice to the development of multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) radar, which offers a number of advantages over traditional radar based on phased antenna arrays (PAAs). These include the possibility to flexibly view space and adapt to a changing signal-interference environment, etc. MIMO technology used in radar requires the emission of a probe signal in the form of a coherent system of orthogonal signals, each of which triggers its own emitter in the transmitting antenna array (AA). As a result, the specified target search area is simultaneously illuminated. Specific spatiotemporal processing (SSP) is used to collect signals from all directions in the irradiated zone at the receiver output. In this regard, the task of finding an SSP structure in MIMO radar that is optimal compared to the traditional approach becomes urgent. The study set out to synthesize the structure of SSP with single–channel reception in MIMO radar and compare the obtained structure and characteristics with those similar in traditional parallel-view radars based on multipath receiving radar.
Methods. The study is based on methods and principles of the theory of multibeam synthesized aperture antennas and methods for the synthesis of optimal Neiman–Pearson detectors based on the likelihood ratio.
Results. For a MIMO radar with AA for transmission and reception provided by a single weakly directional antenna, a split SSP was synthesized to form optimal pre-threshold statistics (PTS) of the detector against a background of white Gaussian noise. The obtained PTS is compared with a similar PTS in a traditional parallel space survey radar with a mirror structure.
Conclusions. It is shown that the detection quality indicators of the compared radars in the mirror construction are equivalent in the mode of parallel target search in the same spatial sectors.

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