3D imaging for millimeter-wave forward-looking synthetic aperture radar (SAR)

Abstract

The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (CCDC ARL) is investigating using 3-D millimeter-wave synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology to provide navigation for aircraft through terrain and obstacles in a degraded visual environment (DVE). We have previously identified the key challenges and associated signal processing research problems that need to be addressed. In this paper, we focus on the first problem—the computationally prohibitive challenge associated with image formation. We present a fast version of back projection 3-D SAR image formation. The fast algorithm is implemented and benchmarked using both a CPU and GPU for real-time operation. We also suggest the operating parameters and demonstrate 3-D SAR image visualization of a large and realistic scene from near- to far-range using electromagnetic (EM) simulation data that illustrates the advantage and key features of 3-D SAR imagery.