Performance indicators modern surveillance radar

Blake chart computations are widely employed to rank detection coverage capabilities of competitive search radar systems. Developed for comparable 2D radar systems with a mechanically rotating reflector antenna, it was not necessary to regard update rate and plot quality in Blake´s chart. To characterize the system´s critical awareness, the inclusion of update rate is, however, of utmost importance. Performance indicators that are considered in this communication therefore contain update rate, resulting in a coverage rate metric. Plot quality is integrated in the coverage information rate metric, which relates to the system´s situational awareness as well. It is concluded that Blake chart-only comparison is not sufficient to rank competing modern search radar systems based on different radar principles. Coverage information rate is elaborated for several radar principles, in chronological order starting with Blake´s rotating 2D search radar and finalizing with a modern non-rotating four face fixed phased array 4D surveillance radar.