Interleaved beam coherent radar apparatus and processing method

An Electronically Scanned Array (ESA) radar system, comprising:

• an antenna;
• a transmitter;
• a receiver;
• at least one processor;
• an input/output device;
• a user interface component;
• and
• at least one time vs. range buffer,
• wherein the at least one processor has a configuration enabling it to execute a plurality of instructional commands provided on a non-transitory machine-readable medium that include transmitting a plurality of synchronized, coherent pulsed transmit beams having substantially repeatable gain and phase pattern characteristics;
• electronically steering the plurality of transmit beams in a respective, sequential plurality of spatially diverse directions in a temporally-interleaved manner;
• sequentially collecting a respective plurality of receive beams in a respective plurality of time vs. range buffers;
• and determining a range-Doppler output at a selected, common receive position in each of the plurality of buffers.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium that includes an executable instruction set comprising:

• transmit a plurality of synchronized, coherent transmit beams having substantially repeatable gain and phase pattern characteristics;
• steer the plurality of transmit beams in a respective, sequential plurality of spatially diverse directions in a temporally-interleaved manner;
• sequentially collect a respective plurality of receive beams in a respective plurality of time vs. range buffers;
• and determine a range-Doppler output at a selected, common receive position in each of the plurality of buffers.