Joint Design of Waveform and Filter for MIMO DFRC Systems Under the Satellite-UAV Framework

This article considers the joint design of transmit waveforms and receive filters for multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) dual-function radar and communication (DFRC) systems under the satellite-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) framework. To address the issue of widely distributed clutter encountered on bistatic moving platforms and improve target detection performance, we employ space-time adaptive processing (STAP) technology and propose an objective function using output signal-to-clutter-plus-noise ratio (SCNR) as the criterion. Concurrently, the downlink multiuser interference (MUI) energy is constrained to uphold quality of service (QoS) for communication. To enhance spectral coexistence, a multispectral constraint is imposed on the stopband of the transmitted waveform’s spectrum. In addition, a constant modulus (CM) constraint is enforced to optimize amplifier efficiency and mitigate nonlinear effects. To tackle the encountered nonconvex optimization problem, an algorithm based on cyclic optimization, Dinkelbach’s transform, and alternating-direction method of multipliers (ADMMs) is further proposed. The simulation experiments have verified that the designed waveforms and filters can achieve suboptimal clutter suppression performance, while strictly adhering to communication, spectrum, and modulus constraints.