Introduction to Radar Systems

This is a replacement. My son had mine and I wanted one on my shelf.....

Merrill Skolnik is one of the masters in the field of radar, and his books certainly do not disappoint. If one does not want to be overwhelmed by the level of detail in the Radar Handbook, a newer edition of which has been published, this book, Radar Systems is definitely the place to start. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive description of the Radar Equation which is the basis for any further understanding of the subject. Chapters 3 & 4 cover MTI/Pulse Doppler Radar and Tracking Radars respectively. Chapter 7 gives a good overview of the topic of Radar Clutter. Clutter from the environment is inherently present in any radar image. Chapter 8 briefly discusses the propagation of radar waves in the atmosphere. If one wants to know more than this chapter provides, one would have to gain familiarity with Maxwell's Equations and consult an Electromagnetics text. Chapters 9-11 wrap up this edition of Radar Systems by discussing the Radar Antenna, Transmitter, and Receiver respectively. If one actually wants to learn the theory behind radar receivers, I would recommend the mathematically detailed books by Van Trees: Volume I on Detection and Estimation, and Volume III on Radar Signal Processing. For a more introductory overview to Radar Signal Processing, consult the recent book by Mark Richards of Georgia Tech, by the same name.

This is a good introductory book about radar. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about radar.

I was in the USAF for 9 years and am now studying for a degree as an electronics technician. While in the service, I worked a variety of radar jammers and receivers and this volume has pieced together very well that is going on at the other end of the radar. While I learned how radars worked, I learned more how to exploit weaknesses, not the ins and outs of how exactly they were supposed to work. This book was very helpful in enhancing my knowledge of radar, and is an invaluable reference in my library.

This third edition is much more readable than the second edition. A vast improvement in the breadth of topics, and also the depth of topics over the second edition. A good introduction to radars and how they work. For the die-hard technical person, however, the Radar Handbook (also by Skolnik) is still king. This book does not get into the detail of the Radar Handbook. However, someone just learning radar would find the extreme detail of the Radar Handbook too confusing. This book is a good starting place. Even if you own the second edition, you might want to upgrade to this one - the format and topics have improved that much.