LADAR RADAR DUAL-MODE OPERATION SYSTEM FOR ENHANCING TRACKING RANGE AND ACCURACY/

Previously investigated LADAR Cooperative target acquisition and track ing systems, are enhanced from 10 to 40 km in good visibility conditio ns. The choice of an optimal LADAR source and the ranges improvements of accurate tracking operation are described. For enhancing detection ranges, specific dual mode LADAR/RADAR systems have been proposed. The optimal solutions for all weather ranges above 400 km are L band RADA R characterized by very high power complex transmitters and bulky ante nnas. The use of repeaters on cooperative targets is investigated oper ating at the same frequency than the ground tracking radar. The equati ons for ranges computations of the cooperative targets repeater in LAD AR/RADAR systems are developed in an Appendix. The computation results show that ranges exceeding 1000 km can be tracked with significantly smaller RADAR Tx power and antenna dimensions. These enhanced ranges L ADAR/RADAR, however, require complex signal processing circuits in the RADAR part and are exposed to severe clutter and interference. New me thods to optimize ranges, reduce clutter effects and improve accuracy of the LADAR/RADAR dual systems are under investigation.