Three-dimensional interferometric ISAR imaging for target scattering diagnosis and modeling.

Area of Science:

• Radar Imaging
• Electromagnetics
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Two-dimensional (2-D) inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) is crucial for target analysis but lacks altitude information.
• Existing 2-D ISAR techniques cannot determine the relative altitude of scattering centers on a target.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an interferometric inverse synthetic aperture radar (IF-ISAR) technique for 3-D target altitude image formation.
• To enable the reconstruction of target altitude information, enhancing target diagnosis and identification capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing signature data acquired as a function of frequency and azimuthal angle to generate 2-D ISAR images.
• Deriving a 3-D IF-ISAR altitude image from two 2-D images reconstructed using measurements from antennas at different altitudes.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated successful 3-D altitude image formation for complex radar targets.
• Validated the IF-ISAR technique using both indoor and outdoor test range data.

Conclusions:

• The proposed IF-ISAR technique effectively generates 3-D altitude images, overcoming the limitations of 2-D ISAR.
• This advancement provides crucial altitude information for detailed target scattering diagnosis, modeling, and identification.