Revisiting VOR transmitters: MIMO passive radar using legacy infrastructure

Abstract

VOR is a well-known system used for the routing of aircrafts worldwide. The system is also worth to provide two interesting properties, first to serve as donor to passive radar, second to provide a specific space coding, used for the navigation and that will be precisely explored to localize targets detected in a passive radar mode. VOR is also interesting as it operates in the lower VHF band, a frequency band highly coveted for its counter stealth properties and high detectability of air targets. The paper addresses the potential of this kind of transmitter, considered solely and also in a multistatic configuration.