Ka- and L-band Imaging Radar

This SBIR consists of the development of a dual-frequency-band imaging radar operating at Ka-band and L-band with ground moving target indicator (GMTI) and Video-SAR capabilities for use on small manned and unmanned aircraft. Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions will benefit from the flexible multi-band SAR that will handle several missions with significantly reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP). In Phase II a prototype radar will be built and tested which meets the performance specifications and the limited SWaP profile. At ARTEMIS we will make use of our decades of experience in radar design and manufacture in building a rugged, pod-mount radar system which can be used on the Shadow 200 and similar aircraft. At Ka-band, the radar will have four channels and make use of space-time adaptive processing (STAP) for GMTI detection of moving targets, particularly dismounts. Also, very high resolution Ka-band SAR imagery will be available for target detection and identification, as well as coherent change detection. At L-band, a very different view of the world is provided with the advantages of a long-wavelength sensor with a wide swath and fully polarimetric capabilities. This combination of features presents a significant leap in radar technology for small aircraft.