Why Read This Book

You should read Principles Of Modern Radar if you want a practical, signal‑processing–focused view of radar theory that bridges classical radar concepts and the DSP techniques used to build modern systems. You will learn how foundational ideas — matched filtering, pulse compression, Doppler processing, spectral analysis and statistical detection — are translated into algorithms and implementations engineers use in real radar and comms systems.

Who Will Benefit

Practicing radar/communications engineers or graduate students with a solid background in signals and probability who are designing or maintaining radar signal‑processing chains and want a concise, application‑oriented reference.

Level: Advanced — Prerequisites: Undergraduate signals and systems, linear algebra, basic probability and statistics, Fourier analysis, and familiarity with MATLAB or a comparable numeric computing environment.

Key Takeaways

• Design matched filters and pulse‑compression waveforms to maximize range resolution and signal‑to‑noise performance.
• Implement Doppler processing and MTI/FFT-based spectral analysis for velocity detection and clutter rejection.
• Apply digital filter design and FFT techniques to front-end and baseband radar signal processing.
• Develop and tune statistical detectors (e.g., CFAR) and analyze detection probability/false‑alarm tradeoffs.
• Use adaptive filtering and array/beamforming concepts to improve look direction sensitivity and interference mitigation.
• Interpret radar performance metrics (range/velocity resolution, ambiguity, SNR, ROC) and translate them into system requirements.

Topics Covered

1. 1. Fundamentals of Radar and Signal Metrics
2. 2. Waveforms, Pulse Compression, and Ambiguity Functions
3. 3. Matched Filtering and Receiver Architectures
4. 4. Doppler Processing, MTI and Pulse‑Doppler Techniques
5. 5. Digital Filter Design for Radar
6. 6. FFTs, Spectral Analysis and Practical Implementation
7. 7. Statistical Detection and Estimation Theory
8. 8. Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) and Thresholding
9. 9. Adaptive Filtering and Clutter Suppression
10. 10. Array Processing and Beamforming
11. 11. Radar Imaging Basics and SAR/ISAR Concepts
12. 12. Practical Considerations: Hardware, Quantization and Real‑Time DSP
13. Appendices: Mathematical Tools, Recommended Algorithms and Reference Tables

Languages, Platforms & Tools

How It Compares

Covers many of the same practical signal‑processing topics as Richards' Fundamentals of Radar Signal Processing but with an older, application‑driven perspective; more accessible in parts than Skolnik's encyclopedic Introduction to Radar Systems.