Statistical approach to passive target tracking

The paper presents a method for passively tracking a moving target using a sequence of bearings from a surveillance platform. The key assumption for the method is that the target is moving at a constant speed on a fixed heading during the data acquisition period. This is the same assumption that is made for Ekelund ranging. Parameter estimates are computed after bearings are taken as the tracking platforms maneuvers. No specific maneuver by the tracking platform is required. The estimators presented in this paper are approximately maximum likelihood when the target is distant from the platform.