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Sea clutter spikes-
this research aims to develop a better understanding
of the relationship between the environmental conditions
and the frequency of occurrence and magnitudes of persistent
spikes. The next step is to attempt to derive features
of the spikes, which may be exploited in detection and
tracking algorithms. Such algorithms will then be developed
and evaluated using both real and modelled data. The
work is applicable to a range of radars, from X-band
airborne systems to S-band shipborne systems.
Coherent clutter modelling-
The properties of coherent clutter are poorly understood,
and with more and more systems operating in coherent
modes this represents a significant knowledge gap. This
research aims to fill this gap and will consider a number
of different approaches, including EM modelling of scattering
from realistic hydrodynamic surfaces, Doppler spectral
modelling using Gaussian profiles to model the different
scattering components, clutter models that model both
the spatial and temporal correlations with a high degree
of fidelity and polarimetric clutter modelling. The
work aims to validate the resulting models using real
data available from a number of sources within the Consortium.
As before, the work is applicable across the normal
radar bands used by a variety of maritime radars.
It should be noted that the Transducer
Embedded Processing Research Theme also considers other
techniques for clutter suppression, see Section 4.2.4.3.
Co-existence with ultra-wideband (UWB)
communications- In February 2002 approval was given
to permit limited use of UWB communications devices,
both in the band below 900 MHz and in the band from
3.1 to 10.6 GHz. This upper band covers most existing
radar systems, and the potential impact of widespread
use of UWB devices is unclear. This research aims to
quantify the problem and, if it appears significant,
to consider possible measures to ameliorate the impact
of such devices on military systems.
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This
sub-theme considers research into the electromagnetic
environment, both natural and man-made, that RF sensors
must operate in. Efficient target detection and false
alarm rejection demands a good understanding of the
EM environment, and whilst many existing systems exploit
such knowledge successfully, a number of important environmental
issues remain poorly understood. This research area
aims to extend the understanding of the environment
as a basis for future exploitation. 
