Terrain effect in monostatic, multistatic, and network radar

Two statistical models, an attenuation model and a shadowing model, which can be used to estimate the influence of the earth's surface on the radar detection of low-flying aircraft are discussed in detail. These models can be applied to wave propagation for both the mean environment and a specific radar site. The attenuation model permits nearly all terrain effects and radar parameters to be considered, while the shadowing model is more simply concerned with the implementation of given terrain data. It is shown that both models lead to similar results for monostatic radar and for network radars and to sharply different results for multistatic radar systems and interferences. A method is also proposed which combines both models to improve the evaluation of low-altitude coverage based on local terrain data. The effect of terrain on position-finding and tracking is also discussed.