Correlation Filters For Aircraft Identification From Radar Range Profiles

The potential for identifying aircraft using one or more radar range profiles, in conjunction with a correlator, is investigated. Two types of filters are described which maximize the expected value of certain correlation peaks. The effectiveness of one type of filter was investigated in identification experiments using an extensive data set of real radar range profiles of 24 different aircraft. The results suggest that reliable identification is possible provided aircraft aspect information is used and identifications are based on multiple profiles.