The design and development of a FM band passive radar test-bed for long term qualification testing

Passive radars are yet to be considered a mature technology despite the excellent progress made by researchers around the globe over the last three decades. This apparent stagnation can likely be attributed to a lack of well defined performance parameters, that is in contrast to active monostatic radar where the performance is relatively well characterised and understood. This paper discusses the development of a multi-static passive radar test-bed to determine the detection and tracking performance of air-targets, with emphasis toward air traffic monitoring. A central objective of the test-bed will be for the collection of passive radar data over several years, which is essential for technology adoption and market acceptance. As an initial input to the design of the system, a model is presented to determine the passive radar target detection range with limited dynamic range in the receiver. This model is validated with historic measurements and shown to be consistent with the results obtained.