AI-Augmented Multi Function Radar Engineering with Digital Twin: Towards Proactivity

Thales new generation digital multi-missions radars, fully-digital and software-defined, like the Sea Fire and Ground Fire radars, benefit from a considerable increase of accessible degrees of freedoms to optimally design their operational modes. To effectively leverage these design choices and turn them into operational capabilities, it is necessary to develop new engineering tools, using artificial intelligence. Innovative optimization algorithms in the discrete and continuous domains, coupled with a radar Digital Twins, allowed construction of a generic tool for "search" mode design (beam synthesis, waveform and volume grid) compliant with the available radar time budget. The high computation speeds of these algorithms suggest tool application in a "Proactive Radar" configuration, which would dynamically propose to the operator, operational modes better adapted to environment, threats and the equipment failure conditions.

Branch-and-Bound Method for Just-in-Time Optimization of Radar Search Patterns

Electronic phased-array radars offer new possibilities for radar search pattern optimization by using bi-dimensional beam-forming and beam-steering. Radar search pattern optimization can be approximated as a set cover problem and solved using integer programming, while accounting for localized clutter and terrain masks in detection constraints. We present a set cover problem approximation for time-budget minimization of radar search patterns, under constraints of range, detection probability and direction-specific scan update rates. Branch\&Bound is a classical optimization procedure for solving combinatorial problems. It is known mainly as an exact algorithm, but features interesting characteristics, making it particularly fit for solving optimization problems in real-time applications and producing just-in-time solutions.