Reducing Radar Measurement Errors Using Ionosphere and Magnetosphere Monitoring Data

A methodology based on the use of ionospheric and magnetospheric monitoring system data to reduce systematic errors in radar measurements was developed. A comparison between experimental monitoring data and calculations was made using the international reference ionospheric model IRI-2020 for two scenarios: disturbed (September 12, 2024) and quiet (September 14, 2024) ionosphere. It was found that during pe­ riods of ionospheric disturbances, model IRI-2020 can understate systematic range errors by 1.5–2 times, espe­ cially for VHF and UHF bands, where errors may reach 7.0–10.0 and 1.0–1.2 km respectively at low elevations. It was shown that radial velocity and elevation errors also significantly depend on the ionospheric state. The use of real-time ionospheric monitoring data provides a substantial improvement in the accuracy of radar measurements, particularly for low-frequency bands and during periods of geophysical disturbances.