Radar Image-Based Navigation

Maintaining accurate navigation in GNSS-denied conditions is critical for the U.S. military. Using real-beam imagery and terrain relief estimates derived from interferograms has the potential to significantly enhance navigation accuracy and robustness, mitigating the loss of GNSS signals. System & Technology Research is developing a novel framework for radar-based navigation. We use millimeter wave (MMW) radar, which is capable of producing near optical quality real-beam imagery as well as terrain relief estimates in all-weather / day-night conditions. The resulting real-beam imagery and terrain relief data, as well as extracted salient point features and road networks, are registered to reference databases, and the corresponding alignments are used to update the navigation solution. Our program plan includes trade studies to establish quantitative relationships between the quality of reference data, the resulting registration alignment, and the associated navigation errors. Additionally, we will evaluate the sensitivity of our solution to both measurement frequency and quality.