scholarly journals Design trade-offs for airborne phased array radar for atmospheric research

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge L. Salazar ◽  
Eric Loew ◽  
Pei-Sang Tsai ◽  
Jothiram Vivekanandan ◽  
Wen Chau Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phased Array ◽  
Atmospheric Research ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Airborne Phased Array Radar

Overview of the Airborne Phased Array Radar Observing Simulator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen-Chau Lee ◽  
Jothiram Vivekanandan ◽  
Scott Ellis ◽  
Kevin Manning ◽  
George Bryan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Processing ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Software Infrastructure ◽  
High Data ◽  
Front End ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Processing Software ◽  
Airborne Phased Array Radar ◽  
Specific Section

<p>The proposed airborne phased array radar (APAR) system consists of four removable, dual-polarized, C-band AESAs (Active Electronic Scanning Array) strategically located on the fuselage of the NSF/NCAR C-130. Conceptually, the radar system is divided into the front-end, the backend, and aircraft-specific section with the front-end primarily consisting of AESAs and the signal processor is in the backend. The aircraft specific section includes a power system and a GPS antenna.</p><p>As part of the risk reduction of the APAR development, the APAR Observing Simulator (AOS) system has been developed to provide simulated APAR data collection sampled from a C-130 flying by/through realistic numerical weather simulations of high-impact weather events. Given that APAR is designed to extend beyond capabilities of the existing airborne tail Doppler radars (e.g., NOAA TDRs and the retired NSF/NCAR ELDORA), a verification of signal processing software and algorithms is needed before the radar is physically built to ensure that the signal processing software infrastructure can handle high data rates and complicated, multiplex scanning that will be part of normal APAR operations.  Furthermore, several algorithms that will need to ingest large amounts of APAR data at very high rates are under development, including dual-Doppler wind synthesis, radar reflectivity attenuation correction, rain rate estimation, and hydrometeor classification. These algorithms need to be tested and verified before the implementation. </p><p>The AOS will also serve as a planning tool for future Principal Investigators (PIs) who will use it to design and test different flight and scanning strategies based on simulated storms to yield the best scientific outcomes before their field deployment takes place. This will enable better understanding of trade-offs among various sampling regimes/strategies during the planning and enhance future field programs' efficiency and effectiveness.</p>

High-Temporal-Resolution Capabilities of the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased-Array Radar

2011 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 579-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela L. Heinselman ◽  
Sebastián M. Torres
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Weather Radar ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Data Archiving ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
Control Interface ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Address Data ◽  
Processing Techniques

Abstract Since 2007 the advancement of the National Weather Radar Testbed Phased-Array Radar (NWRT PAR) hardware and software capabilities has been supporting the implementation of high-temporal-resolution (∼1 min) sampling. To achieve the increase in computational power and data archiving needs required for high-temporal-resolution sampling, the signal processor was upgraded to a scalable, Linux-based cluster with a distributed computing architecture. The development of electronic adaptive scanning, which can reduce update times by focusing data collection on significant weather, became possible through functionality added to the radar control interface and real-time controller. Signal processing techniques were implemented to address data quality issues, such as artifact removal and range-and-velocity ambiguity mitigation, absent from the NWRT PAR at its installation. The hardware and software advancements described above have made possible the development of conventional and electronic scanning capabilities that achieve high-temporal-resolution sampling. Those scanning capabilities are sector- and elevation-prioritized scanning, beam multiplexing, and electronic adaptive scanning. Each of these capabilities and related sampling trade-offs are explained and demonstrated through short case studies.

scholarly journals The next generation airborne polarimetric Doppler weather radar

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Vivekanandan ◽  
W.-C. Lee ◽  
E. Loew ◽  
J. L. Salazar ◽  
V. Grubišić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Phased Array ◽  
Doppler Velocity ◽  
Airborne Radar ◽  
Dual Polarization ◽  
Polarization Measurements ◽  
Phased Array Radar ◽  
X Band ◽  
Temporal And Spatial ◽  
Airborne Phased Array Radar

Abstract. Results from airborne field deployments emphasized the need to obtain concurrently high temporal and spatial resolution measurements of 3-D winds and microphysics. A phased array radar on an airborne platform using dual-polarization antenna has the potential for retrieving high-resolution, collocated 3-D winds and microphysical measurements. Recently, ground-based phased array radar (PAR) has demonstrated the high time-resolution estimation of accurate Doppler velocity and reflectivity of precipitation and clouds when compared to mechanically scanning radar. PAR uses the electronic scanning (e-scan) to rapidly collect radar measurements. Since an airborne radar has a limited amount of time to collect measurements over a specified sample volume, the e-scan will significantly enhance temporal and spatial resolution of airborne radar observations. At present, airborne weather radars use mechanical scans, and they are not designed for collecting dual-polarization measurements to remotely estimate microphysics. This paper presents a possible configuration of a novel airborne phased array radar (APAR) to be installed on an aircraft for retrieving improved dynamical and microphysical scientific products. The proposed APAR would replace the aging, X-band Electra Doppler radar (ELDORA). The ELDORA X-band radar's penetration into precipitation is limited by attenuation. Since attenuation at C-band is lower than at X-band, the design specification of a C-band airborne phased array radar (APAR) and its measurement accuracies are presented. Preliminary design specifications suggest the proposed APAR will meet or exceed ELDORA's current sensitivity, spatial resolution and Doppler measurement accuracies of ELDORA and it will also acquire dual-polarization measurements.

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