Effect of propagation model fidelity on passive radar performance predictions

Accurately predicting propagation loss is critical to determining if an area can support passive bistatic radars (PBRs), which must rely on illuminators of opportunity and might operate near the threshold of detection for weak targets. Models available to calculate propagation loss vary in their complexity and might include factors such as terrain, refraction, clutter, and multipath. This paper reports on work comparing two such models, the Advanced Refractive Effects Prediction System (AREPS) and the Irregular Terrain Model (ITM). An interface between AREPS, ITM, and MATLAB was developed to enable model comparisons for similar configurations. Results were incorporated into a PBR simulator to examine how the model differences affect localization performance predictions.