I am involved in the development of a number of radar systems. For one radar we are coming to the point of proving the system meets its requirements and have a difference of opinion regarding the test criteria.

From a purely theoretical view it is a function of pulse width post pulse compression. Range resolution is also often loosely spoken of as the range cell size. But two flat plates separated by a distance of one range cell will not be distinguishable on a radar display from one extended target covering two range cells. Is it true to say a radar has a resolution of X metres if two flat plates separated by X+1 metres can only be 'resolved' as two separate targets by moving them both away from the radar until the range cell boundaries lie in just the right place, when at all other ranges they are indistinguishable from a single target covering two range cells? What is a fair test to determine the real-life range resolution of the radar?