Comparison of Monopulse and MUSIC Estimator for Angular Parameters Estimation

Abstract

Estimation of angular parameters of a target has always been an important field of study. Monopulse technique can be used to obtain accurate angle measurements in tracking radars. Another popular method for this estimation is use of high resolution beamformers. This paper presents a comparative study of two of the modern techniques monopulse and Multiple Signal Classification (MUSIC) used to perform this estimation by using phased array radar. Simulations are performed in Matlab to make comparison on the basis of accuracy of measurements, ability to resolve multiple targets and performance under poor SNR conditions. Results show that monopulse is capable of giving more accurate measurements than MUSIC and can perform well under poor SNR but inability to resolve multiple targets is its limitation and this is where MUSIC takes precedence.