Determining the number of small-sized radars in a network with coherent signal processing for the detection of stealth aerial vehicles

The object of this study is the process of determining the number of small-sized radars in the network when detecting stealth unmanned aerial vehicles. The main hypothesis of the study assumed that determining the optimal number of small-sized radars in the network will make it possible not to waste unnecessary resources of radars to detect stealth unmanned aerial vehicles. The main stages of detection of a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle by a network of small-sized radars are: – reception of the signal reflected from a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle by all small-sized radars of the network; – coordinated filtering of incoming signals in each small-sized radar; – compensation of phase shifts in each matched filter; – coherent addition of output signals from each matched filter at the output of the receivers of each of the N small-sized radars performing reception; – formation of a complex bypass at the output of the corresponding Doppler channel in each small-sized radar of the network; – coherent processing of signals from all elements of the network of small-sized radars; – detection of the output signal from the adder of coherent signals. At the same time, compensation for the random initial phase of signals reflected from a stealth unmanned aerial vehicle is also performed. It has been established that the increase in the elements of the network of small-sized radars increases the value of the conditional probability of correct detection. Such an increase is more significant when the number of elements in the network of small-sized radars is increased to two or three. The gain in the signal/noise ratio when adding elements to the network of small-sized radars was evaluated. It was established that the optimal number of small-sized radars in a network with coherent signal processing when detecting stealth unmanned aerial vehicles is 2‒3 radars