Sequential Monte Carlo-based radar tracking in the presence of sea-surface multipath

In order to detect the location or track the trajectory of a target, the radar emits signals in predetermined directions and frequencies through its transmitter. However, there is always more than one path for signals' propagation where the ones return indirectly may cause interferences with the ones return directly. This interference may mislead the signal receiver in isolating the correct target echo and seriously degrade the performance of the radar system. In this work, we develop a tracking mechanism based on a sequential Monte Carlo sampling technique that addresses the multipath interference, hence promises improvements in the capacity and accuracy of the radar tracking systems. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first to relax one of the major assumptions that has consistently been made in the literature of the sea surface multipath effects by considering both the specular and diffuse reflection aspects in an integrated manner. The accuracy and efficiency of the developed method for state estimation of targets (range, elevation and velocity) are tested in 2-D and 3-D space using synthetic experiments. The proposed work premises significant reduction in the conventional radar's performance degradation and provide highly precise electronic support for its naval applications.