Network-centric Angle Only Tracking

The coordinated use of multiple distributed sensors by network communication has the potential to substantially improve track state estimates even in the presence of enemy countermeasures. In the modern electronic warfare environment, a network-centric tracking system must function in a variety of jamming scenarios. In some scenarios hostile electronic countermeasures (ECM) will endeavor to deny range and range rate information, leaving friendly sensors to depend on passive angle information for tracking. In these cases the detrirnental effects of ECM can be at least partially ameliorated through the use of multiple networked sensors, due to the inability of the ECM to deny angle measurements and the geometric diversity provided by having sensors in distributed locations. Herein we demonstrate algorithms for initiating and maintaining tracks in such hostile operating environments with a focus on maximum likelihood estimators and provide Cramer-Rao bounds on the performance one can expect to achieve. Cramer-rao bound, maximum likelihood estimation, angle only tracking, passive tracking.