Sensitivity of Single-Pulse Radar Detection to Radar State Uncertainty

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to account for radar state uncertainty in detection probability models, enhancing the accuracy of mission planning under uncertain radar conditions.

Contribution

It presents a linearization approach to estimate how radar state uncertainty affects detection probability, validated through Monte Carlo analysis.

Findings

Detection probability is sensitive to radar state uncertainty.

Linearization accurately estimates variance in detection probability.

Method improves robustness of path planning in radar environments.

Abstract

Mission planners for aircraft operating under threat of detection from ground-based radar systems are often concerned with the probability of detection. Current approaches to path planning in such environments consider the radar state (i.e. radar position and parameters) to be deterministic and known. In practice, there is uncertainty in the radar state which induces uncertainty in the probability of detection. This paper presents a method to incorporate the uncertainty of the radar state in a single-pulse radar detection model. The method linearizes the radar detection model with respect to the the radar state and uses the linearized models to estimate, to the first order, the variance of the probability of detection. The results in this paper validate the linearization using Monte Carlo analysis and illustrate the sensitivity of the probability of detection to radar state uncertainty.