Volume surveillance radar frequency selection

The USA Navy developed the volume surveillance radar concept to fill the need for volume surveillance in future non-AEGIS ships. This new radar is envisioned as a low-cost replacement for the SPS-48/49 radars. A phased array architecture is desirable for flexibility, ship integration ease and ship signature goals. This paper discusses the many trade-offs one must consider when deciding on the frequency choice for a volume surveillance radar. Some considerations favor higher frequencies and some favor lower frequencies and depending on how one weights these factors, different conclusions can be made as to the “optimum” frequency choice. The frequency choice in this instance was driven by three main factors: cost, pulse repetition frequency (PRF) selection and beamwidth. The trade-off between these factors resulted in L-band as the preferred frequency