Forward Scatter Radar Meets Satellite: Passive Sensing of Aerial Target Using Satellite Communication Waveforms

The problem of single-channel reception of global positioning system (GPS) communication waveforms makes passive sensing of aerial target difficult because of forward scatter. This paper proposes a novel aerial target passive sensing method based on linear canonical transformation (LCT) using the forward scattered satellite communication waveforms. The proposed method firstly preprocesses the received signal based on the characteristics of the traditional satellite tracking loop and the forward scattered satellite communication waveforms to effectively suppress the interference of the direct wave through DC removal. Then, the Gaussian noise and multipath interference in the channel are suppressed by applying a rectangular window to its linear canonical domain. Finally, aerial target sensing is performed based on the peak value of signals in the linear canonical transform domain. The characteristic signal is constructed by analyzing the satellite communication waveforms. Combining the linear canonical transform with the matched filter (MF) to estimate the target parameter. Simulation results show that the proposed method can effectively perform the aerial target sensing by using satellite communication waveforms in the forward scatter scenario.