Abstract: Antenna element errors exist practically for every airborne multichannel array radar. Channel mismatch caused by these errors may significantly lower the resultant performance of space time adaptive processing (STAP). In this article an array signal model with element errors is first discussed. Then an element error compensation STAP approach based on covariance matrix taper (CMT) technique is proposed. For engineering application, this taper matrix can be predesigned through antenna calibration on the ground or during the testing fly. Through preprocessing the interference covariance matrix by tapering, the impact of an actual element error on STAP performance will be reduced to a level within the impact of measurement errors. The approach is validated through simulation results.

Key words: radar, array antenna, space time adaptive processing, element error correction, covariance matrix taper