Abstract: This paper proposes a unified clutter model incorporating the effects of range walk and array rotation for space-time adaptive processing (STAP) in airborne multi-channel early-warning radar. Based on this clutter model, STAP performance is then analyzed from the perspective of covariance matrix tapering (CMT). For STAP performance degradation due to array rotation, a determinate compensation method is proposed based on the CMT method. Numerical examples are provided to verify the analysis and the proposed compensation method.