Improved tracking capability and efficient radar allocation through the fusion of radar and infrared search-and-track observations
Samuel S. Blackman · Optical Engineering · 2000
The benchmark problem addresses the efficient allocation of an agile-beam radar in the presence of highly maneuverable targets and radar ECM. The multisensor benchmark tracking solution is aided by the presence of a scanning infrared search-and-track (IRST) system. This paper presents methods for applying a tracker with interacting multiple- model (IMM) filtering and multiple-hypothesis tracking (MHT) data asso- ciation to this multiple-sensor tracking and resource allocation problem. It presents a hybrid multisensor tracking architecture in which an IMM- MHT tracker operating on IRST data provides the global IMM-MHT tracker with selected observations. Simulation results quantify the poten- tial improvement from the use of advanced tracking methods and IRST data to enhance agile-beam radar tracker capability. © 2000 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (S0091-3286(00)03205-0)