The objective is to distinguish the true target from point-target imitators and from extended-target clutter in the exoatmospheric regime. Matched filters are carefully studied from the viewpoint of SNR enhancement and pulse recognition. The matched filter structure takes into account photon noise, modulation noise, generation-recombination (GR) noise, contact noise, and various thermal noise sources. A multicolor radiant-intensity structure for target discrimination is developed by analyzing the uncertainties in such target irradiance parameters as range, temperature, projected area, and emissivity. Bias terms, variances, and other statistical descriptors are derived. Certain statistical discrimination techniques are discussed that exploit the radiant-intensity format. Helstrom's method for processing radar signals is adapted to a fourchannel pulse-recognition system for which degradation due to arrival time delays and mismatched filters is discussed.