RADAR EQUATION

Studies How :
Radar illuminates the target
Radar receives the echo
Radar processes the echo to detect a targets presence.
Untuk memahami Radar Equation maka diambillah spesifikasi Radar sebagai
berikut :
Specification of the RADAR :
1. Transmit power : 3.000.000 watt (3MW)
2. Antenna Gain : 4500 (dimension less)
3. Antenna effective aperture : 20 m2 (square metre)
4. Transmit frequency : 1,27 GHz (L-Band, range of L Band : 1 2 GHz)
5. Transmit pulse width : 2,5 uS
6. Pulse Repetition Frequency : 350 pps (pps = pulse per second, is same
with PRF : Pulse Repetition Frequency)
7. Receive noise factor : 2,5
Target Specification :
1. Radar cross sectional : 10 m2
2. Range from Radar : 300 nmi ( 1 nmi = 1852 m)

A. Transmit
Pemancar menghasilkan energy radio frekuensi (RF) yang memancarkan
pulsa dengan lebar 1 sampai 5 uS dan dinyalakan sebanyak 350 kali tiap
detik (PRF : Pulse Repetition Frequency). Selama pulsa dipancarkan maka
daya puncak dari pemancar adalah 3 MW.

Gambar 1. Bentuk pulsa yang dipancarkan

Waktu yang diperlukan selama 1 siklus adalah :
.. (1)

T=

1
f

T=

1
=0,002857142
350

detik

Daya sesaat (average power),

P AVG

dari pemancar adalah :

P AVG =

1
p ( t ) dt
T 0
(2)

Dengan T = waktu yang diperlukan selama 1 siklus pulsa pemancar (PRF),

detik
P(t) = daya sebagai fungsi waktu
P avg = daya rerata (watt)
Persamaan (2) dapat diurai menjadi :
T1

T2

1
P AVG = [ p ( t ) dt + p ( t ) dt]
T2 0
T
1

..................... (3)
T2

1
P AVG = p (t ) dt
T2 T
1

.
........................... (4)

P AVG =

3000000 0,002857142
t
0,002857142 0,002854642

P AVG =2625 watt

Atau untuk mendapatkan daya rerata dapat dipergunakan persamaan
sebagai berikut (penjabaran dari persamaan (4) :

PAVG

Ppeak . pulse width ( )

Pulse repetition time ( PRT )
..

...................... (5)

B. Antenna Gain
The radio energy from the transmitter is concentarted in a preferred
direction by the antenna. The degree of concentration is the gain of the
antenna.
By difinition, an lossless antenna which radiated power equally in all
direction is call isotropic, has a gain of unity, and its pattern is a sphere. If
the same transmitter were connect to the antenna with a gain of 100, the
available power would be distributed within a beam with occupies 1/100 of
a sphere, and the power density within the beam would be 100 times the
power density for the same transmitter connected to an isotropin
amntenna.

G=

Solid anglethe sphere

(dimensionless)
Solid angletheantenna beam
......................... (6)

With G = the antennas gain

The power effectively radiated by the transmitter/entenna combination in
the direction of the main beam is called the Effective Radiated Power (ERP).
It is the product of the power delivered to the transmit antenna and the
gain of that antenna.

ERP=PT GT
............
........... (7)
ERP = the radar effective radiated power (Watt)
PT = the transmit power delivered to the antenna (Watt)
GT = the gain of the radars transmit antenna
Example a:
The ERP of the example radar is the transmitter power of 3.000.000 W
times the gain of 4500 or 13.500.000.000W :

ERP=PT GT =3000000. 4500=13.500 .000.000 Watt

( To produce the same power in a given receiver at a given range, an

isotropic antenna would have to be connected to a 13.500.000.000 Watt
transmitter ! ).
C. Forward Propagation
Power emitted from the transmitter and its antenna propagates away from
the antenna at the speed of light.
Propagation data :
Propagation constant in free space
1
Velocity in free space
299.792.000 m/s
Propagation constant at sea level
0,999681
Velocity at sea level
299.696.000 m/s
Approximately velocity
300.000.000 m/s
Impedance in free space
377
Impedance at sea level
377
The power density of the forward signal is the power per unit area of beam
crosssection W/m2. Visualize a plane perpendicular to the axis of the
antenna at distance R from the radar. Power density is the amount of power
falling on each unit are of the palne. It equals the power transmitted

divided by the area of the beam at the targets range

4 R2T
(
)
GT

PT
)

The area of

the beam is the area of a sphere of radius equal to the range from radar to
target, devided by the transmitting antenna gain, and is invesely
proportional to the square of range :

P/ A F =

PT
4 R2T /G T
....................

(8)
P/AF =the forward illumination power density at the target (W/m 2)
RT = range from radar tranmitter to target (m)
4RT2 = the surface area of a sphere of radius RT
Example c :
300 nmi equals 555.600 m. A sphere of radius 555.600m has a surface
area of 3,879 x 1012 m2 . The antenna beam illuminates 1/4500 of that area
or 862.000.000 m2 . The total transmitted power is 3.000.000 W. Therefore
the power per unit area in the beam at the targets range is 3.000.000 W
devided by 862.000.000 m2 or 0,00348 W/m2 .

D. Target Reflection
If the electromagnetic energy propagating through the medium an
impedande of other than 377 Ohm , a portion of the energy reflected. Thr
directionality of the reflection is determined by the charactheristics of the
target. For example, a sphere reflects equally in all direction. A flat plate
reflects the majority of the energy in a direction determined by the
orientation of the plate. The porsion of the reflected energy that propagates
in the direction of the radar receiving antenna is call backscatter.
The power reflected from the target is proporsional to the illumination
power density and to the reflection charactheristic of the target. These
characteristics, including the directionality of the reflection, are summarized
in the Radar Cross Section (RCS) of the target.

PTgt =P/ A F .
PTgt =

PT G T
4 R 2T

.
........................ (9)

PTgt = the effective power reflected by the target in the direction of radar
(Watt)
= the targets radar cross section (m 2)

The target is modelled as a scoop connected to a radiator which scatters

power equally in all direction (isotropic radiator). The model is set at the
same range as the target and the scoop area varied until the power
received by the radar from the model is the same as that from the target.
When equality exists, the area of the scoop equals the radar cross section
of the target. Most target are not isotropic radoators, but they behave as
such in the direction of the radar.

Example d:
The illumination power density at the target is 0,00348 W/m 2. The target
has an RCS of 10 m2. The equivalent scoop therefore captures 0,0348 W of
illumination power (0,00348 times 10 m2) and reradiates it.
E. Backscatter Propagation
The energy reflected from the target propagates away from it at the
propagation velocity. There is no gain factor in backscatter propagation. The
range from the target to the radar receiving antenna equals the range from
radar transmitting antenna to target .

P/ A B =

PT GT
4 R

2
T

1
4 R2R
............. (10)

P/Ab = the backscatter power density at the radars receiving antenna

(W/m2)
Rr = the range from the target to the radars receive antenna (m)

Example e:
The target now act as a transmitter with an equivalent isotroppical radiated
power (only in the direction of the radar) of 0,0348 W. This waves power
density at the radar is this reflected power spread over the surface of a
sprhere radius equal to the range from target to radar (555.600 m). The
sphere has a surface area of 3,88 x 10 12 m2, and the power density is 8,97 x
10-15 W/m2.
F. Echo Signal and Interference Capture
The echo power which propagates back to the radar is captured by the
effective area of the receiving antenna. Two factor determine the total radar
power captured : the power density of the echo signal at the antenna, and
the effective area of the antenna. The effective area of the typical radar is
about one-half of its actual area.

PR =P A B . A E
.............. (11)
PR = the echo power receive from the target (Watt)
AE = the effective capture area of the receive antenna (square meters)
Example f :
Receiving antenna has an effective area of 20 m 2 (which means that it
probably has an actual projected area about 40 m 2 ). The power density of
the echo at the receive antenna is 8,97 x 10 -15 W/m2, from which 20 m2 of
aparture captures about 1,79 x 10-13 Watt.

Combining equation (1) through (11) indicates that the echo power received
is proportional to :
- Power transmitted
- Transmitted antenna gain
- Target radar cross section
- Effective area of the receive antenna
- Fourth power of range

PR =

PT G T

( 4 )2 R 4

AE
............ (12)

The above equation ( equ 12) is a simplified version of the radar equation. It
ignores losses in thr radar system and propagation path and neglects the
fact that many echoes from the same target are usually processed together.
For a given radar, the echo power received is a function of the radar
parameters :
The RCS (Radar Cross Section ) of the target
Range
Losses
An intuitively useful relationship can be formed by combining some of
these quantities :

PR =

KR
R4 LA
................. (13)

K R=

P T GT A E
( 4 )2 LS
............... (14)

LS = losses in the radar system (dimensionless)

LA = losses in the propagation path (dimensionless)
KR = represent the radars parameters (W-m2)
The ralationship between gain and effective aperture antenna is ( nent
discussion) :

G=

4
AE
2

.............. (15)

After translating effective are to gain terms, the K R (radars parameters

becomes) :

PT G2T 2
K R=
( 4 )3 LS
..... (16)
Let Smin denote the minimum detectable signal power. It follows that the
maximum radar range Rmax is :

Rmax =

PT G2T 2
3

(4 ) S min

1/ 4

.... (17)
Rmax = maximum detection range (m)
Smin = minimum detectable signal power
G. Reception
In practical situations the returned signals received by the radar will be
corrupted with noise, which introduces unwanted voltages at all radar
frequencies. Noise is random in nature and can be described by its Power
Spectral Density (PSD) function. The noise power N is a function of the radar
operating bandwidth, B. More precisely
..... (18)
The input noise power to a lossless antenna is
.... (19)
Where K = Boltzmanns constant (1,38 x 10-23 W s/oK or J/oK) is Boltzmans
constant, and Te
is the effective noise temperature in degree Kelvin (290 0K). It is always
desirable
that the minimum detectable signal (Smin ) be greater than the noise power. The
fidelity of a radar receiver is normally described by a figure of merit called the
noise figure F. The noise figure is defined as

........ (20)
(SNR)i and (SNR)o are, respectively, the Signal to Noise Ratios (SNR) at the
input and output of the receiver. Si is the input signal power, Ni is the input
noise power, So and No are, respectively, the output signal and noise power.
Subtituting the 2 equation above yield :
..... (21)
Thus, the minimum detectable signal power can be written as

...... (22)
Therefore, the Rmax becomes :

PT G2T 2
Rmax =
(4 )3 S min

1/ 4

...... (23)

Rmax =

2
T

PT G
3

( 4 ) k T e BF (SNR )o

min

1/ 4

..... (24)
The radar detection threshold is set equal to the minimum output SNR,

(SNR)o

min

..... (25)
Radar losses denoted as L reduce the overall SNR, and hence

...... (26)
B = bandwidth (Hz)
F = noise factor 9dimentionalless)
L = loss (radar system loss and propagation path loss)
Although it may take on many different forms, the above equation is what is
widely known as the Radar Equation.

The captured target and interfering energy is amplified, filtered and

demodulate in the radars receiver. The receiver increases the amplitude of
the signal to a usable level and rejects as much interferences as pposible.
Thermal noise is mainly generated in the radar itselft, usually in thr first stage
of thr receiver. The thermal noise power, effectively at the receivers input, is
obtained from the equation :

PN =K T O B F

PN = the noise power at the input of thr receiver

K = Boltzmanns constant (1,38 x 10-23 W s/oK or J/oK)
To = 290oK
B = the noise bandwidth of thr system
F = the noise factor (if in decibels, it is noise figure)
Example h:
Giving a noise bandwidth of 400.000 Hz. The noise factor is 2,5, meaning the
receiver produce 2,5 times the noise of an ideal receiver at 290 oK. The noise at
the receivers input is 4,0 x 10-15 W.
The signal to interference ratio determines whether or not sufficient signal is
present to detect the target. It is the ratio of signal echo power to interfering
power. The signal to noise ratio is :

S / N=P R / PN

S/N = the power signal to noise retio

PR = thr signal echo power at the input to the receiver
PN = the noise power at the input to the receiver