Study on the High Range Resolution for Over-the-Horizon Radar

Abstract

Over-the-horizon (OTH) radar is a technology that propagates radar signals beyond the Earth's curvature along the horizon to detect and track a wide range of distant targets. This technology is crucial in addressing potential threats from neighboring countries; however, it has not been implemented domestically for practical use. The OTH radar system utilizes high frequencies (3∼30 MHz) to detect distant targets, resulting in a limited bandwidth and, consequently, reduced range resolution. To overcome these limitations, this study focused on enhancing the range resolution of narrow-bandwidth transmission pulse waveforms by constructing a hybrid least-squares reception filter. This filter combines the outputs processed using matched filters and the least-squares method to effectively maintain a high resolution while controlling noise. Finally, simulation results confirmed the improvement in the range resolution of the OTH radar through the application of this hybrid reception filter.