Chapter 10 - Introduction to Radar Signal Processing

Signal processing for radar systems is a vast and fascinating discipline that concerns many different techniques and fields of application. The complete Elsevier Reference includes this section along with that on Array Signal Processing, which is intimately related to radar techniques. This section focuses on the most recent and exciting findings on the applications of signal processing techniques in radar systems, described in a tutorial manner, such that newcomers in the area can learn what is going on in this always in progress field of research. The basics and the new findings on array signal processing techniques are covered in the Array Signal Processing section edited by Mats Viberg. The history of radar started more than one hundred years ago, in 1904, when Christian Hülsmeyer demonstrated the first experimental radar in Cologne, Germany. Later, in 1920, Guglielmo Marconi also observed the radio detection of targets in his experiments, but it was not until World War II that dynamic development of radar began. It has since then evolved into an indispensable all-weather, long-range sensor. Military and security applications have always been the main drivers of radar developments. However, later on radar has become a key sensor for civil applications including air, maritime, and ground traffic control and the guidance of aircraft and vehicles on airport surfaces. According to its acronym RAdio Detection And Ranging, the classical radar mission is to detect and locate objects. With the advent of coherent pulse radar, velocity measurements have become possible by exploitingtheDopplereffect.Todayspecializedradarsmeasureelevation,aidinweathermonitoring,and help with target classification. To find an overview of basic radar concepts and radar signal processing algorithms the interested reader can refer to [1]