Estimation of the lateral target length by generalised power estimation: Clutter-free case

Knowledge about the lateral target length may be useful in several applications such as convoy tracking and alerting a high resolution imaging mode for classification. We focus on the estimation of the apparent length of an extended target with particular emphasis on convoys of ground vehicles. The estimation is done by applying generalised power estimators to the output signals of an array antenna. These estimators take into account that the signal vector is random and characterised by a covariance matrix. A clutter-free environment is assumed.