Aircraft Height Estimation using 2-D Radar

H. Hakl; E. Davies; W. H. le Roux

doi:10.14429/dsj.60.116

H. Hakl Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa
E. Davies Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa
W. H. le Roux Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.116

Abstract

A method to infer height information from an aircraft tracked with a single 2-D search radar is presented. The method assumes level flight in the target aircraft and a good estimate of the speed of the aircraft. The method yields good results for medium to high altitudes, though performs weaker at low altitudes. The method can distinguish between high and low targets on a normal 2-D radar, and can reach a height resolution of 100 m provided the 2-D radar is optimised to the task.

Defence Science Journal, 2010, 60(1), pp.100-105, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.60.116

Author Biographies

H. Hakl, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa

Dr H.M. (Henri) Hakl has received PhD in Applied Mathematics from University of Stellenbosch in 2007. At present, he is a developer and engineer for Professional Software Development (PSD) and focuses on hospitality management systems. His areas of interest include graphics and real-time 3-D spatial organisation and visualisation;additionally he is a guest lecturer at the University of Stellenbosch on the subject of 3-D graphics.

E. Davies, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa

Mr E.T.J. (Emlyn) Davies has received Masters in Electronic Engineering from University of Pretoria in 1998. He is involved in mathematical analysis of various systems, and in developing software to model their behaviour. His areas of interest include mathematical representations of physical phenomena, signal processing, algorithm optimisation for high performance hardware architectures, data compression, and estimation theory.

W. H. le Roux, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa

Mr W.H. (Herman) Le Roux has received Masters Degree in Computer Engineering from University of Pretoria in 1999. He is at present a Principal Engineer in the Mathematical and Computational Modelling Research Group. He is involved in modelling and simulation-based acquisition decision support, specifically for the South African National Defence Force. His areas of interest include enterprise information systems, interoperability, information fusion, biometrics, artificial intelligence and software engineering.