Scheduling for a multifunction phased array radar system

A multifunction radar is a new, complex, radar system which combines the previously isolated tasks of searching volumes of space, tracking targets and guiding missiles. This study was instigated by the Defence Research Agency who require scheduling rules for their newly developed multifunction radar system. The primary interest when looking at the operational efficiency of this type of radar system is to schedule the radar jobs effectively. These jobs take the form of a coupled task which consists of two distinct operations that require processing in a predetermined order and at a specified interval apart. In the radar scenario, each job is cyclic in nature with its own due date and processing time. The need for an on-line scheduler restricts the radar controller to use heuristic methods. A detailed functional simulation model, which generates a multifunction radar environment, has been developed to aid the evaluation of the various scheduling heuristics that we have proposed.