Abstract: A false alarm rate is maintained at or below a desired rate over a fluctuating mean noise level for providing additional sensitivity and increased range performance in a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) circuit in a radar system by: utilizing a variable CFAR detection threshold level for distances out to the radar's horizon; and, for distances beyond the radar's horizon, utilizing a relatively low fixed CFAR detection threshold level in place of the variable CFAR detection threshold level when there are no environmental factors present that produce additional radar returns.

Abstract: A constant false alarm rate (CFAR) circuit uses three windows for calculating mean level thresholds. In addition to a lead window and a lag window each separated from a cell of interest by a predetermined number of cells, a straddle window is used which includes the cell of interest. Each of the lead, lag and straddle windows are subjected to editing to remove three adjacent cells including the cell with the highest power level. The remaining cells are used to calculate a mean level threshold for each of the three windows. The largest of the three mean level thresholds is used, unless it is derived from the straddle window and it is significantly larger than the largest of the mean level thresholds derived from the lead and lag windows. In addition, use of the mean level threshold derived from the straddle window may be excluded for range cells associated with one or more range and azimuth.