A matched array beamforming technique for low angle radar tracking in multipath

A new technique, originated from matched field processing (MFP) for sonar target localization, is proposed for application to low-angle radar tracking or target height finding in a multipath propagation environment. This technique substitutes the plane wave steering vector, used in an antenna array beamforming algorithm, such as Capon´s (1979) minimum variance or maximum likelihood method, with a composite signal predicted from a deterministic multipath propagation model. Preliminary simulation results indicate the excellent potential of the matched field processor, alternatively referred here as matched array beamformer (MAB), in estimating the altitude of a low-angle target masked by specular multipath interference