AIMC-Spec: A Benchmark Dataset for Automatic Intrapulse Modulation Classification under Variable Noise Conditions

Abstract

A lack of standardized datasets has long hindered progress in automatic intrapulse modulation classification (AIMC) - a critical task in radar signal analysis for electronic support systems, particularly under noisy or degraded conditions. AIMC seeks to identify the modulation type embedded within a single radar pulse from its complex in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) representation, enabling automated interpretation of intrapulse structure. This paper introduces AIMC-Spec, a comprehensive synthetic dataset for spectrogram-based image classification, encompassing 33 modulation types across 13 signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels. To benchmark AIMC-Spec, five representative deep learning algorithms - ranging from lightweight CNNs and denoising architectures to transformer-based networks - were re-implemented and evaluated under a unified input format. The results reveal significant performance variation, with frequency-modulated (FM) signals classified more reliably than phase or hybrid types, particularly at low SNRs. A focused FM-only test further highlights how modulation type and network architecture influence classifier robustness. AIMC-Spec establishes a reproducible baseline and provides a foundation for future research and standardization in the AIMC domain.