Airborne distributed pulse doppler radar missile warning system

• US 20080111728A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert R. Stevens
• Original Assignee: Robert R. Stevens
• Inventors: Stevens, Robert R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,425,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/14
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 11/02 Anti-aircraft or anti-guided missile or anti-torpedo defence installations or systems cartridges or missiles for producing smoke or for dispensing radar chaff or infrared material F42B5/15, F42B12/48, F42B12/70; informative reference: details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00; jamming or electronic countermeasures G01S7/38, G01S7/495, H04K3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/38 Jamming means, e.g. producing false echoes

Abstract

A digital missile warning system comprising a distributed pulse doppler radar having a plurality of antennas, each being coupled to a transmit/receive (T/R) module located adjacent to the antenna, and parallel signal processing channels including an A/D converter, FFT processor and a range/velocity track file processor in each channel for each antenna resulting in enhanced detection range, reduced False Alarm Rate (FAR), faster response time, reduced size, weight and installation requirements, improved reliability and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs. An optional optical missile warning system can provide azimuth and elevation data to the track file processors which enables a three (3) dimensional track of a missile, with azimuth and elevation angles provided by the optical system and range, velocity and acceleration data provided by the pulse doppler radar. The combination of Pulse Doppler Radar MWS and the Optical MWS produces close to a zero False Alarm Rate (FAR). Further, means to extract a threat IR missiles'"'"' roll rate and its seeker spin rate and phase angle are provided.

Claims

1. A missile warning radar system comprising:

a plurality of antennas;

a plurality of transmit/receive modules each coupled to one of said plurality of antennas;

a signal processor having a plurality of parallel A/D converters each coupled to one of a plurality of FFT processors, each of said A/D converters receives an intermediate frequency (IF) signal from one of said plurality of transmit/receive modules;

a data processor having a plurality of range/velocity track files, each of said track files receives data from a corresponding one of said plurality of FFT processors; and

a dispense controller for initiating jamming activity in response to target information received from said data processor.

2. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 1 wherein said system comprises a channelized master oscillator for providing system clock signals, a transmit signal, and a local oscillator RF signal to said T/R modules.

3. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 1 wherein each of said FFT processors comprises an extended memory, aperture weighting functions and FFT processor for examining an amplitude history of a target signal over a minimum of approximately 0.25 seconds missile flight time to determine spin and roll characteristics of said targets signal.

4. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 1 wherein data from said plurality of range/velocity track files is compared to threat missile data from a threat library for separating real threats from false alarms.

5. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 1 wherein said data processor receives azimuth and elevation data from an optical missile warning system and range, velocity and acceleration data from said signal processor for determining a three dimensional track of a missile.

6. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 1 wherein said system comprises means for detecting missile roll rates, seeker spin frequencies, and phase angle to optimize countermeasures for shoulder-fired IR threats.

7. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 1 wherein said system comprises a library of known missile parameters including velocity limits, acceleration, missile roll and seeker spin rates to compare with measured target parameters before validating to an alarm for optimizing the countermeasure response and minimizing a false alarm rate.

8. The missile warning radar system as recited in claim 4 wherein said system comprises means for entering new threat data to said threat library for optimizing target recognitions and countermeasure responses over the life of said system.

9. A method for providing a missile warning radar system comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of antennas;

coupling each one of a plurality of transmit/receive modules to one of said plurality of antennas and to an RF transmit signal;

providing a signal processor having a plurality of parallel A/D converters, each of said A/D converters being coupled to one of a plurality of FFT processors, each one of said parallel A/D converters receives an intermediate frequency (IF) signal from one of said plurality of transmit/receive modules;

providing a data processor having a plurality of range/velocity track files coupled to the outputs of said plurality of FFT processors, each of said track files receives data from a corresponding one of said plurality of FFT processors; and

initiating jamming activity with a dispense controller in response to target information received from said data processor.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said step of providing a data processor comprises the step of said data processor receiving azimuth and elevation data from an optical missile warning system and range and velocity data from said signal processor for determining a three dimensional track of a missile.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said method comprises the step of detecting missile roll rate, seeker spin frequency, and phase angle to optimize countermeasures for shoulder-fired IR threats.

12. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein said method comprises the step of providing a library of known missile parameters including, velocity limits, acceleration, missile roll and seeker spin rates to compare with target parameters before validating an alarm for purpose of optimizing a countermeasure response and measuring a false alarm rate.