Synthetic aperture radar with a non-uniform pulse repetition interval

Abstract

Based on recent developments it has become feasible to combine the multiple pulse integration of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) with the temporal agility of nonuniform pulse repetition intervals (PRI). This combination can bring to the traditional SAR system both strong resistance to countermeasures and interception, and high sensitivity. A significant problem which must be addressed in SAR systems is the possible smearing of the azimuth dimension of the image due to Doppler sidelobes which are too high. This issue is even more serious with a non-uniform PRI waveform. Traditionally sidelobes are controlled with techniques such as amplitude weighting. However, these simpler techniques are not adequate for non-uniform PRI waveforms. One method for increasing the sidelobe rejection capability of these waveforms is through the use of interpolation based techniques. >