Programmable Millimeter Wave (MMW) Radars For Gun Fire Control

The Fire Control Division at ARRADCOM, Dover, NJ is developing the Lightweight Integrated MMW Sensor (LIMS) and the Advanced Fire Control Radar (AFCOR). The AFCOR is a dual-frequency (Ku and 94 GHz) coherent pulse doppler radar for improved track of low-angle airborne targets. The LIMS is a 94 GHz experimental sensor being developed to optimize ECCM and LPI characteristics while maximizing the range at which a target can be detected and tracked. The LIMS system consists of a programmable signal processor integrated with an experimental, coherent, solid-state, 94 GHz transceiver having a 1 GHz instantaneous bandwidth. The MMW sensor's waveform has good range resolution and utilizes a high duty cycle (low peak power, but high average power) for extended range detection compatible with the peak power limitations of MMW solid-state sources. The waveform modulation will be a combination of frequency hop (on a dwell-to-dwell basis), interrupted CW, and biphase code. The MMW sensor will, ultimately, incorporate PSP (Programmable Signal Processor) controlled RF power management for enhanced LPI. Polarization processing may be incorporated for stationary target discrimination and classification. A VHSIC radar processor is being procured from Westinghouse Corporation to provide: (1) Real-time processing in a comnact package for LIMS, and (2) Provide high throughput rate for simultaneous multiple target search and track for AFCOR.