Interferometric ISAR Imaging of Maritime Targets for Improved Classification

Per the topic description, the performance of ISAR image based classification suffers when vessels are similar with very few distinguishing features, and while this problem exists for vessels of all sizes, the situation worsens as the vessel size becomes smaller. An approach to obtaining additional features from ISAR imaging to further enhance classification performance is to exploit multiple transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) phase centers. Interferometric ISAR operation is the most basic Tx-Rx architecture comprised of a single Tx phase center and two displaced Rx phase centers. This architecture allows for ISAR images to be formed from the individual Tx-Rx pairs, and subsequently combine them to form a phase interferogram. Our proposed effort satisfies the objectives and is synergistic with related transition activities.