Tracking low elevation targets in the presence of multipath propagation

A tracking algorithm based on a measurement model of the multipath propagation effects on the elevation angle measurements is presented. This algorithm does not depend on the specific signal processing and the prevailing environmental conditions. The results of simulations based on several scenarios are presented. The signal processing model used to generate the elevation measurements of a low-flying target with multipath effects is also described. This mode incorporates a spherical Earth and finite target range in the geometry of reflection. The algorithm clearly indicates when the measurements are degraded, in which case it automatically increases the variance of the altitude estimate