Tutorial: Over The Horizon Radar Systems
Presented by:
Dr. Giuseppe A. Fabrizio
Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Australia
Course Description:
High frequency (HF) radars that operate by signal reflection from the ionosphere offer a unique ground-based capability for detecting airborne and surface targets at distances an order of magnitude greater than conventional microwave radars which are limited by the radio horizon. Significant advancements in HF over-the-horizon (OTH) radar have led to a strong resurgence of interest in this fascinating technology for many applications including Homeland defence. The tutorial provides a broad introduction to the key principles of HF-OTH radar systems based on sky-wave and surface-wave propagation mechanisms.
The unique challenges of operating in the HF environment are described and connected to motivate and explain the architecture and design of operational OTH radar systems. This includes a description of the most influential characteristics of the HF propagation medium and signal environment, as well as the essential features of various radar sub-systems such as the antenna, transmitter and receiver. Conventional and adaptive signal processing methods for OTH radar are also covered and practical applications illustrated.
Numerous examples of experimental results from live-data processing on actual HF radar systems are presented, while new insights for the way ahead and a comprehensive list of references are also provided. The tutorial is expected to benefit students, scientists and engineers with little or no background in the field of OTH radar, or professionals who wish gain a wider understanding of the central OTH radar concepts with respect to traditional line-of-sight radars, in an area that is upcoming and of international importance.
Topics Covered:
- Fundamental OTH radar principles
- Propagation Medium
- Signal Environment
- Radar Sub-systems
- Frequency Selection and Waveform Design
- Conventional & Adaptive Processing
Instructor Biography:
Giuseppe Aureliano Fabrizio received electrical engineering and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Adelaide, Australia, in 1992 and 2000 respectively. Since 1993, Dr Fabrizio has been employed by the Defence Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) as part of a team responsible for OTH radar development, and is currently a senior research scientist leading the EW section of the High Frequency Radar Branch. In his current position, Dr Fabrizio is responsible for the development and implementation of new adaptive signal processing techniques to enhance the performance of modern OTH radar systems. His main interest areas include adaptive beamforming in non-stationary interference environments, adaptive signal detection and estimation against heterogeneous disturbance backgrounds, and space-time adaptive processing of live radar data. In particular, he is concerned with the development of robust algorithms that take the environmental and instrumental factors limiting the performance of practical radar systems into account. Dr Fabrizio is the principle author of numerous peer reviewed journal and conference publications, and was twice the co-recipient of the prestigious M. Barry Carlton Memorial Award for the best paper published in IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems in 2003 and 2004. In 2007, he received the DSTO Science Excellence award in recognition of his contributions to adaptive processing in OTH radar. He as acted as a reviewer of book proposals and scientific articles on many occasions, and has presented a number of tutorials on radar signal processing to technical audiences as well as company managers, including the first tutorial on Over-the-Horizon Radar at an IEEE Radar Conference (2008) in Rome, Italy.