Research on influence of distortion of large aperture optical towed linear array shape on null-forming algorithm

Distortion of array shape must be taken into account in large aperture optical towed array signal processing. The amount of distortion of an array shape will influence the performance of subsequent signal processing. The null-forming technique is a strong interference suppression method widely used in towed linear array detection systems, and plays an important role in ship interference cancellation and the detection of weak targets. This paper researches the effect on null-forming performance when a towed linear array is distorted into an arc array. We also compare straight and arc arrays by analysing the results of simulating arc arrays at different angles. The simulation results indicate that, as the main lobe of a target's beam becomes wider, the accuracy of DOA descends and the effect of strong interference suppression gets worse. In addition, the detection of weak targets is severely affected if a linear array is still processed as straight when the y-coordinate of the array deviates from its horizontal axis by more than 4 meters.