Investigation of millimeter wave and far infrared multiwavelength systems

Under a previous contract, a series of tests were performed in an effort to define some of the working characteristics of the 70 GHz radar and to investigate some of the problems involved with 'handover' from the radar to an electro-optical (EO) sensor system. These experiments are discussed in this report. An EO system with the desired performance can be realized with a 5 watt CW laser. With direct detection, the performance margin is low even in high visibility atmospheric conditions; however, with heterodyne detection, adequate SNR will exist to compensate for losses in the optical system, and atmospheric losses associated with low to moderate visibility conditions.