Estimation of Extended Targets using the Generalized Monopulse Estimator: Extension to a Mixed Target Model

In many radar applications extended targets appear together with point targets. An important problem in particular for tracking algorithms is to rapidly detect these extended targets and to determine their centroid and shape. In a previous paper we have developed and characterized estimators for the centroid and extension of an extended target based on the generalized monopulse ratio when the target is modeled as a number of independent Swerling I-II point scatterers. However, the Swerling I-II model is a very rough approximation for the behavior of a real complex target. The work presented here extends the statistical characterizations to mixtures of independent Swerling I-II point scatterers and deterministic Swerling 0 point scatterers which may, however, vary arbitrarily in time. Such a mixture of deterministic and stochastic scatter model is able to provide good approximations of real target radar cross sections.