Stimson's Introduction to Airborne Radar (Radar, Sonar and Navigation)
Has any technical book, radar or otherwise, presented the fundamentals and applications of a topic with such clarity and interest as George Stimson’s masterpiece has? Over 50,000 happy Stimson owners would say, “Not likely!” Now a skilled and respected team of radar and EW engineers, working closely with a community of radar advisors and the publisher’s editors, have fully modernized coverage and maintained the unique Stimson look and feel. Even the “timeless principles” and core fundamentals of general radar have been updated in wording and new graphics, while the more advanced concepts and applications in airborne radar have been brought into the digital age of radar signal processing and solid state electronics.
Stimson’s is written specifically as an overview without going overboard on the math. Virtually anybody with a knowledge of high school algebra, trigonometry, and physics will be able to read and absorb the vast majority of the material. Living up to its moniker of “Introduction,” Stimson’s contains extensive fundamental materials and practical applications, using visual system exemplars to aid explanations. The unique full color layout is enhanced with an immense number of illustrations, figures, tables, and color photographs.
Chapter exercises are an important addition for training and undergraduate academic courses.
KEY FEATURES
* Completely covers the wide range of techniques employed in modern airborne and space borne radars.
* Fulfills the needs of those who want to learn about radar, regardless of their technical background.
* Fundamentals are applicable to ground-based radar as well.
* Clear, understandable writing supplemented by extensive graphic illustration of concepts and offset boxes taking those concepts to higher levels.
* All chapters have been modified, some heavily, to remove legacy material and include modern radar techniques.
* Two new sections have been added, covering electronic warfare, and special/advanced topics.
Click here to view a sample chapter and Table of Contents.
Why Read This Book
You will get a clear, application‑focused tour of airborne radar that balances timeless theory with modern digital signal processing techniques — from waveform design to clutter suppression and practical system tradeoffs. You will learn how DSP (FFT, spectral analysis, adaptive filtering) and contemporary solid‑state radar engineering are applied to real airborne radar problems without getting lost in needless mathematical formality.
Who Will Benefit
Practicing radar and signal‑processing engineers, system designers, and graduate students who need a practical, up‑to‑date introduction to airborne radar concepts and DSP applications for airborne platforms.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Undergraduate math (calculus, linear algebra), basic signals & systems and probability/statistics, and a basic understanding of electromagnetics or radar terminology.
Key Takeaways
- Analyze and predict airborne radar performance using standard metrics (SNR, range/velocity resolution, ambiguity functions).
- Design and evaluate common radar waveforms and pulse‑Doppler modes, including pulse compression and MTI/GMTI techniques.
- Apply FFT‑based spectral analysis and digital filtering to process radar returns and extract Doppler and range information.
- Implement adaptive clutter‑suppression and detection strategies, including CFAR and adaptive filtering concepts.
- Assess system‑level tradeoffs for airborne platforms, including antenna/beamforming, solid‑state transmitter considerations, and EW countermeasures.
- Interpret practical radar engineering issues (calibration, false alarm control, data rates) and map them to DSP solutions and tools.
Topics Covered
- 1. Introduction to Airborne Radar: roles, modes, and system context
- 2. Basic Electromagnetics and Antenna Considerations for Airborne Platforms
- 3. Radar Performance Fundamentals: SNR, resolution, ambiguity functions
- 4. Pulse Radar Waveforms and Pulse Compression
- 5. Doppler Theory, MTI and Pulse‑Doppler Radar
- 6. Digital Signal Processing for Radar: sampling, FFT, spectral analysis
- 7. Digital Filter Design and Signal Conditioning in Radar Receivers
- 8. Detection Theory, CFAR, and False‑Alarm Management
- 9. Adaptive Filtering and Clutter Suppression Techniques
- 10. Imaging and Motion Compensation (overview of airborne SAR/GMTI concepts)
- 11. Phased Arrays, Beamforming and Platform Integration
- 12. Electronic Warfare, Countermeasures, and System Survivability
- 13. System Engineering, Calibration, Test, and Future Trends in Airborne Radar
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More approachable and application‑oriented than Skolnik's Radar Handbook and less DSP‑centric than Mark Richards' Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing — Stimson emphasizes system context and practical airborne application.
