An application of track-before-detect to sea-clutter rejection: experimental results based on real data

In this paper, we illustrate a practical application of the detection architecture proposed in [1], [2], where a track-before-detect processor elaborates the plot-lists provided on a scan-by-scan basis by the detector and plot-extractor of a radar system. Results based on a real acquisition from a ground-based sea-search radar are presented and discussed. This experimental study, which complements the previous theoretical and numerical analysis, shows that the detection scheme proposed in [1], [2] is highly effective in reducing sea-clutter and readily implementable in existing radar systems.