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This paper focuses on detecting and tracking maneuvering weak targets in the range–Doppler (RD) plane with the track-before-detect (TBD) algorithm based on dynamic programming (DP). Traditional DP-TBD algorithms integrate target detection and tracking in their framework while searching the paths provided by a predefined model of the kinematic properties within the constraints allowed. However, both the approximate motion model used in the RD plane and the model mismatch caused when the target undergoes a maneuver can degrade the TBD performance sharply. To address these issues, this paper accurately describes the evolution of the RD equation based on Constant Acceleration (CA) and Coordinated Turn (CT) motion models with the process noise in the Cartesian coordinate system, and it also employs a recursive method to estimate the parameters in the equations for efficient energy accumulation and path searches. Facing the situation that targets energy accumulation during the DP iteration process will lead to an expansion of the target energy accumulation process. This paper designs a more efficient Optimization Function (OF) to inhibit the expansion effect, improve the resolution of the nearby targets, and increase the detection probability of the weak targets simultaneously. In addition, to search the trajectory more efficiently and accurately, we improved the process of DP multi-frame accumulation, thus reducing the computation amount of large-scale searches. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method for CA and CT motion target detection and tracking is verified by many of the simulation experiments that were conducted in this paper.

Ground clutter data are usually generated using a statistical model, but they cannot effectively reflect the spatial distribution characteristics of ground objects. It is important in practical projects to effectively predict ground clutter when terrain data are known. In this paper, a scheme of ground clutter simulation based on the three-dimensional parabolic equation (3DPE) model is proposed. Radio wave propagation was modeled by the PE model and the spatial field distribution was solved. After the radar cross section (RCS) calculation based on space cells, the ground clutter information data were obtained. Then the radar echo was obtained and the clutter map was simulated. The simulation experimental results show that the ground clutter map simulated by the proposed method has a good reference value, meets the demand of strong clutter area prediction under known terrain conditions, and provides a theoretical basis for radar location and optimal deployment.

The multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar imaging technology has attracted many scholars due to its many inherent advantages, such as avoiding complex motion compensation and imaging a quickly maneuvering target, compared to inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging. Although some imaging algorithms, such as the 2D fast iterative shrinkage thresholding algorithm (2D-FISTA), can meet the demand for super-resolution, they are not directly suited to MIMO radar imaging, for which the MIMO manifold needs to be considered. In this paper, based on the above questions, we propose the MIMO radar imaging algorithm, utilizing the sparsity of the scattering map in space and the MIMO array manifold, even achieving a good performance in the presence of MIMO channel error. The sparse reconstruction algorithm is developed with the alternative direction method of multipliers (ADMM) with the help of 2D-FISTA and the lp-norm. Then, two algorithms are derived: one is the exact sparse recovery algorithm, and the other is the inexact sparse recovery algorithm. Although the exact sparse recovery algorithm can converge to a more accurate precision than the inexact algorithm, the latter can converge at a faster speed. Finally, the results on simulation data validated the effectiveness of the algorithm.