Basic functional requirements and results for an MSSR on-site evaluator based on RF target injection

Modern quality control in radar systems is based on the input of known signals into the radar chain. These signals are used in a remote air traffic control centre to determine the current parameters of the radar system. In this framework, the paper describes the functional requirements of a monopulse secondary surveillance radar (MSSR) evaluator based on RF target injection. In particular, those aspects concerning the reply generation function are described. The azimuth of the emulated plot can be affected by different error sources which are not due to the radar extractor but are related to the generation and injection process. Errors in the amplitude and phase of Σ and Δ result in azimuth errors and must be kept to a minimum. Synchronisation with the turn of the antenna will also lead to unavoidable azimuth errors. These error sources are studied, and three different data analyses carried out on real radar are also presented