Investigations into optimum non‐periodic bursts scheme in radar pulse train designed for fixed‐wing drone detections by multi‐function radar

Abstract Drone surveillance with multi‐function radar (MFR) can benefit a lot from the careful radar pulse train organisation into dedicated sub‐RPTs serving particular needs of tasks. In contemporary scenarios of MFR applications, where navigation, search and rescue, and natural environment safeguarding are to be shared, of particular importance is a case where airborne small drone detection radar performs other tasks concurrently. Resource sharing within the radar unit is based on variables and unpredictable circumstances, leading to strains in resources in MFR. Consequently, such constraints limit MFR functioning with optimal drone sensitivity for its own sake. To ensure a high quality of radar services performed quickly, with a low DC power consumption, the task sharing approach by the common MFR platform, non‐periodic bursts emission of radar pulse energy has gained our major attention. At the same time, it was assumed that bursts feature periodic time intervals between radar pulses, which is a favourable circumstance in the control and implementation of signal processing. Each sub‐RPTs is designed to cope with particular detection tasks. One to four linear polarisations (VV, VH, HV, HH) are activated. The focus of the investigation was on the radar emitting a few thousand pulses per second, but only a few 10 pulses per second were expected to be required to detect small airborne drones. The core of the research study was the optimisation process of the scheme operating with 4 to 16 pulse bursts optimised for drone detection with a modest use of resources at MFR. While performing several activities, the X‐band MFR platform called ENAVI was developed in‐house. The proposed non‐periodic burst scheme optimisation approach was validated with in‐field tests with the ENAVI radar model. The in‐air target was a 3‐metre fixed‐wing drone having low RCS and flying at different altitudes with a speed close to 200 km/h. The radar antenna was a 26 dBi low‐profile dual‐polarisation array making it feasible to detect drones remaining a few degrees off the antenna breadboard direction. A very high likelihood of detection of drones from a few kilometres distance was demonstrated within one second. The authors present the effectiveness of the cell‐averaging technique which proved to correctly detect drones within a 7‐km range, and how MFR radar echoes can be used for basic weather surveillance. One vertical VV polarisation was used for drone detection and two VV and VH polarisations for weather observation. Weather radar capabilities were examined against heavy rain clouds imposing a hazard to the safety of drone flights.