Climatological Model of Over-the-Horizon Radar

Key Points Models of radar systems are required for a variety of reasons. The sophistication of these models is highly dependent on their purpose; for instance, microwave radar models, which are designed to be integrated into existing wargaming simulation frameworks, will often be low-fidelity models. The development of similar models of over-the-horizon (OTH) radar is particularly challenging. This is due to the highly variable propagation environment in which such systems are required to operate: even the lowest fidelity model of an OTH radar must model the environmental conditions appropriately. The base level environmental modeling required to accurately characterize OTH radar performance is the climatology, that is, diurnal, seasonal, and solar cycle variations. In this paper we detail a climatological model of OTH radar developed using high-frequency radio wave ray tracing techniques. We discuss how this model may be used to provide initial assessments of the viability of candidate OTH radar networks to meet particular missions and how it may be used in sophisticated radar network design methodologies.