Prospects and limitations of millimeter waves in naval tracking radars

The capabilities of millimeter-wave systems for shipborne tracking radars are investigated. The performances of centimeter wave and millimeter-wave tracking radars are compared with regard to range in the presence of sea clutter and rain clutter, the nodding effect, intrinsic precision and ECCM capacity. It is concluded that the choice between the two radar systems reduces to a choice between the following technical problems: for centimeter waves, the use of devices that reduce nodding errors in an acceptible manner, and for millimeter waves, the adoption of coherent transmission chains with high recurrence frequency, and of MTI-type receivers.