Real-Time Exploitation of Video Synthetic Aperture Radar Imagery

Traditionally, SAR has been deployed on aircraft that use linear flight trajectories to image large areas (i.e. strip map mode) and to obtain one or more high resolution snapshots of a small area (i.e. spotlight mode). While such imaging modes are suitable for: 1) performing wide-area surveillance, 2) periodically monitoring facilities such as airports and motor pools, and 3) performing tasks such as searching for slow moving targets such as dismounts, the relatively infrequent target revisit rates and limited viewing angles make them ill-suited for providing real-time tactical intelligence, especially in urban area, ports, and harbor facilities. Radar systems capable of performing wide-area high-update rate SAR imagery provides situational awareness, and change detection can often be employed to detect slowly moving or stopped targets. VideoSAR (VSAR) imaging, based on a high update rate SAR imaging of an area provided through continuous orbital or linear racetrack (e.g., flying parallel to the coastline staring at the area of interest) trajectories, can be used to achieve persistent surveillance of a critical tactical locale.