Binary Stokes vector representation of aircraft in the low-resolution radar context

• Published in: IET radar, sonar & navigation Vol. 13; no. 11; pp. 2041 - 2045
• Main Author: Aldhubaib, Faisal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.11.2019
• Subjects: 110–170 MHz; 9–200 MHz; 9–30 MHz; aircraft; aircraft testing; binary decision tree; canonical shape; decision trees; dominant polarisation directions; electromagnetic wave scattering; F16 aircraft models; fighter‐sized aircraft; frequency 110.0 MHz to 170.0 MHz; frequency 9.0 MHz to 200.0 MHz; frequency 9.0 MHz to 30.0 MHz; frequency band; frequency domain; low‐band scheme; low‐resolution radar context; orthogonality threshold; polarisation dominance; polarisation power terms; radar resolution; radar signal processing; radar target recognition; Research Article; resonance‐scattering region; Stokes variables subject; target aspect change; target decision outcomes; target resonance region; target sides aspect; target substructures; vectors; Stokes variables subject; resonance-scattering region; frequency domain; radar signal processing; canonical shape; fighter-sized aircraft; target aspect change; frequency 110.0 MHz to 170.0 MHz; radar target recognition; target substructures; target decision outcomes; polarisation dominance; 110–170 MHz; aircraft testing; target sides aspect; dominant polarisation directions; aircraft; frequency 9.0 MHz to 200.0 MHz; 9–30 MHz; frequency 9.0 MHz to 30.0 MHz; electromagnetic wave scattering; low-resolution radar context; vectors; low-band scheme; 9–200 MHz; radar resolution; binary decision tree; polarisation power terms; decision trees; F16 aircraft models; target resonance region; orthogonality threshold; frequency band
• ISSN: 1751-8784; 1751-8792
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-rsn.2019.0066

This study proposes a low-band scheme utilising the polarisation dominance of the target's resonance regions in the frequency domain to recognise a fighter-sized aircraft. The methodology implements a binary decision tree based on three polarisation power terms, namely Stokes variables, to determine the polarisation dominance of six directions, and subsequently, predict the canonical shape of the target substructures. The decision tree comprises three inequalities of the Stokes variables subject to an orthogonality threshold to reflect the dominant polarisation directions as a function of the target resonance region. The simulation data for two fighter-sized aircraft illustrate the feasibility of the method by comparing the differences (or similarity) in the target decision outcomes. The results indicate that resonance-scattering region lies within the frequency band of 9–200 MHz where thin-wedge scattering is prominent within the frequency band of 9–30 MHz, whereas the corner (dihedral) scattering becomes dominant within the band of 110–170 MHz, mainly when the radar illuminates the target sides aspect. The method was robust to the noise and target aspect change using the paradigms of the MIG29 and F16 aircraft models.