Slow-Moving Micro-UAV detection with a small scale Digital Array Radar

The detection of slow-moving and small Radar Cross Section (RCS) micro-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be challenging. Typically, radar returns from such targets are very low in magnitude, buried in close to carrier phase noise and background clutter. Digital Array Radar (DAR) architecture enables various array processing methods that can improve the capability of a radar. For instance, Digital Beamforming (DBF) techniques are applied in DAR to improve the search ability of the system. Multiple surveillance beams can be synthesized concurrently to cover a wide search volume, enabling DAR to virtually stare at targets for much longer intervals compared to beam scanning radars. Consequently, Doppler resolution of the radar is improved significantly, allowing for enhanced discrimination of slow targets from stationary clutter. This paper illustrates the development and experimentation of a small scale DAR prototype, operating in S band, applied to detect a slow moving micro-UAV target at a relatively long range.