Analysis of CFAR performance in Weibull clutter

Recent interest has focused on order statistic-based (OS-based) algorithms for calculating radar detection thresholds. Previous analyses of these algorithms are extended, to determine closed-form approximations for the signal-to-clutter ratio required to achieve a particular probability of detection in clutter environments whose amplitude statistics are modeled by the Weibull distribution, and where the clutter dominates receiver noise. Performance is evaluated in both homogeneous and inhomogenous clutter. The analysis shows that the OS-based algorithm is quite robust against both interference and clutter edges. A method is suggested for improving performance at clutter inhomogeneities for short-range targets