Improving FM-Based Passive Forward-Scattering Signature Readability Using Multitaper Reassignment

This article presents the concept of improving the readability of airborne target forward-scatter (FS) signature spectrograms obtained for passive FS radars (PFSR) based on frequency-modulated (FM) analog radio signals using the time-frequency (TF) multitaper reassignment method. First, the theoretical basis of the forward-scattering radar technique and a detailed description of the TF multitaper reassignment method for spectrogram concentration are presented. The performance of the proposed method was verified for real-life signals, supported with numerical analyses. Finally, the outcomes are compared to the state-of-the-art method showing the superiority of the proposed approach in PFSR signature analysis.