An airborne surveillance radar demonstrator

Advances in signal processing technology offer the radar designer an increasing opportunity to develop sophisticated detection and imaging algorithms. However, the design of many existing surveillance radar systems is such that the development, proving and implementation of even the smallest algorithmic changes can require costly and time-consuming equipment modifications. In the design of future radar systems there is therefore a strong case for the use of a programmable processor which is separated from the microwave hardware by a clearly defined interface. This paper presents some results from a research programme which has developed such a rapid prototyping environment by interfacing an existing in-service airborne maritime surveillance radar to a commercially available computer workstation and a high-bandwidth tape recorder.