Advantages of LiDAR

Compared with ordinary microwave radars, LiDAR has many advantages due to the use of laser beams, which operate at a much higher frequency than microwaves, mainly including:
(1) High resolution
Lidar can achieve extremely high resolution in angle, distance, and velocity. Usually, the angular resolution is not less than 0.1 mard, which means it can distinguish two targets at a distance of 3 kilometers and a distance of 0.3 meters (which microwave radar cannot achieve in any way), and can track multiple targets simultaneously; The distance resolution can reach 0.1 meters; The speed resolution can reach within 10 meters/s. High resolution of distance and velocity means that clear images of targets can be obtained using distance Doppler imaging technology. High resolution is the most significant advantage of LiDAR, and most of its applications are based on it.



(2) Good concealment and strong resistance to active interference
Laser propagates in a straight line, has good directionality, and the beam is very narrow, which can only be received on its propagation path. Therefore, enemy interception is very difficult, and the aperture of the laser radar transmission system (transmission telescope) is very small, with a narrow reception area. The probability of intentionally emitted laser interference signals entering the receiver is extremely low; In addition, unlike microwave radars, which are susceptible to the widespread influence of electromagnetic waves in nature, there are not many signal sources that can interfere with LiDAR in nature. Therefore, LiDAR has a strong ability to resist active interference and is suitable for working in increasingly complex and intense information warfare environments.
(3) Good low altitude detection performance
Due to the influence of various ground echoes, microwave radar has blind spots (undetectable areas) in certain areas at low altitudes. For LiDAR, only the illuminated target will produce reflection, and there is no influence of ground echoes. Therefore, it can work at zero altitude, and its low altitude detection performance is much stronger than that of microwave radar.
(4) Small size and light weight
Usually, ordinary microwave radars have a large volume, with the entire system weighing in tons, and the aperture of the optical antenna can reach several meters or even tens of meters. Lidar, on the other hand, is much lighter and more agile. The aperture of the transmitting telescope is generally only in centimeters, and the minimum weight of the entire system is only a few tens of kilograms, making it easy to install and dismantle. Moreover, the structure of LiDAR is relatively simple, easy to maintain, easy to operate, and the price is also relatively low.

Disadvantages of LiDAR

Firstly, work is greatly affected by weather and atmospheric conditions. Laser generally attenuates less in clear weather and propagates over longer distances. In bad weather such as heavy rain, thick smoke, and fog, the attenuation increases sharply and the transmission distance is greatly affected. A CO2 laser with a working wavelength of 10.6 μ m has the best atmospheric transmission performance among all lasers, and its attenuation in bad weather is six times that in sunny weather. The operating range of CO2 LiDAR used on the ground or at low altitude is 10-20 kilometers on sunny days, while it is reduced to less than 1 kilometer on bad weather. Moreover, atmospheric circulation can cause distortion and jitter of laser beams, directly affecting the measurement accuracy of LiDAR.

Secondly, due to the extremely narrow beam of LiDAR, it is very difficult to search for targets in space, which directly affects the interception probability and detection efficiency of non cooperative targets. It can only search and capture targets within a small range, so LiDAR is less commonly used directly on the battlefield for target detection and search.