Radar imaging from a distorted array - The radio camera algorithm and experiments

High angular resolution radar imaging may be achieved with a large-aperture antenna even if the aperture is distorted, provided that adaptive signal processing compensates for the distortion. The radio camera is an instrument designed for this purpose. Its algorithm for imaging ground-based targets is described and experimental results are given for a 3-cm wavelength demonstration system using a distorted 27-m random sparse array. The measured beamwidth of 1 mrad conformed to theory, confirming the validity of the technique. Extension of the algorithm to accommodate isolated targets such as aircraft and ships also is discussed.