Target identification using radar imagery and moment methods

In the past, most radar target recognition techniques have concentrated on the use of one dimensionsal target signatures. However, the development of the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and the recent development of the Inverse Synthetic Aperture (ISAR) technologies have made it possible to obtain radar images of targets and thus allow the use of two dimensional pattern classification schemes for automatic radar target recognition. One such two dimensional shape recognition scheme is a technique known as the method of moments, which has been successfully applied to the recognition of objects imaged in the visible and infrared spectrum. The images used in this investigation were generated by the application of the ISAR technique to turntable radar data and also data obtained from flying aircraft targets.