MIMO Radar Detection Algorithms With Location Capabilities for Heterogeneous Environments

In this paper, we address the problem of joint adaptive detection and range-Doppler estimation for MIMO radar systems in heterogeneous environments. Specifically, we extend the Two-Step Generalised Likelihood Ratio Test Detector designed for homogeneous Gaussian background to work in compound-Gaussian scenarios. To this end, we replace the conventional sample covariance matrix of the secondary data with the estimators of clutter statistics based on the normalised sample covariance matrix and the recursive estimate. In this context, three detectors are proposed that can inherently provide estimates of target position in the delay-Doppler domain. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed detectors significantly outperform the homogeneous counterparts in heterogeneous environments whilst maintaining satisfying performance in homogeneous environments. Remarkably, the analysis of the false alarm rate reveals that the proposed detectors are insensitive to changes in the scaling factor and/or covariance structure of the background.