All-Digital Phased Array Radar: The Data Processing Nightmare and Hardware Solution
An inside look at the all‑digital phased array radar’s data processing bottleneck. Using an RFSoC with eight 400 MHz channels as an example, this article walks through the 16 GB/s data torrent, the 100 GB/s aggregation card with QSFP28 and SlimSAS, and the 12,000‑DSP FPGA that crunches digital beamforming in real time. A must‑read for radar system architects.
DRFM Deception Jamming: How to Turn a Radar’s Gain Against Itself
A deep dive into DRFM deception jamming — how it borrows a radar’s own matched filter and pulse integration gain to create convincing phantom targets. Covers the four stages of radar gain, the DRFM capture-modify-retransmit cycle, and the engineering nightmares of processing speed and deception fidelity. Why noise jamming loses, and why algorithms win.
High‑Throughput Record and Playback of Ultra‑Wideband RF Signals: Challenges in Data Bus, SSD, and Memory
Recording and replaying ultra‑wideband RF signals (e.g., 1 GHz instantaneous bandwidth) demands a sustained data rate of 8‑10 GB/s. But SSDs slow down dramatically after their cache fills, PCIe buses become choked by CPU‑side lane limits, and memory gets hammered by multiple copies and transfers. Here’s why – and what the real bottlenecks are.
SFDR Explained: A Simple Guide to SNR, SINAD and RF System Performance
Struggling with SNR, SINAD, and SFDR? Think of noise as random grain in a dark photo, and distortion as lens flare in bright light. SFDR is the real killer – one big false signal can waste a million‑dollar missile. Let’s clear them up with a real calculation.
Polarimetric Radar: How Dual-Polarization Reveals Target Identity
Polarization gives radar a powerful new sense. With dual‑polarization detection, it can distinguish real targets from deceptive jamming – and tell raindrops from snowflakes.