On the use of X-band CW nanosecond airborne radar for terrain profiling
Abstract
Terrain profile sensed by a 10 GHz X-band airborne nanosecond radar has been compared against the terrain profile sensed simultaneously by a pulse laser profilometer. Several facts can be observed from a series of inter-comparisons between these two profiles. First, under the condition of comparable sampling intervals, the terrain profile sensed by radar is almost the same as that sensed by the laser profilometer except radar sensed profile does not contain information of narrow and tall objects above the ground surface. Second, a radar range resolution finer than 4 nanoseconds and a better algorithm on return waveform analysis for identifying narrow and tall objects in addition to the ground surface are going to improve accuracy and precision of radar's capability in terrain profiling. Third, for a short flight track, the removal of the effects on radar range measurements due to aircraft motion can not be achieved with knowing three ground surface elevations whose locations are well separated along the flight track. Last, the limit at which radar range tracking circuitry loses its lock and, thus, its ability in resolving ranging is higher for aftside range slopes than for foreside range slopes.
- Publication:
-
Naval Research Lab. Report
- Pub Date:
- June 1985
- Bibcode:
- 1985nrl..reptV....C
- Keywords:
-
- Continuous Wave Radar;
- High Pass Filters;
- Profilometers;
- Radar Range;
- Radar Tracking;
- Superhigh Frequencies;
- Terrain;
- Topography;
- Algorithms;
- Elevation;
- Gates (Circuits);
- Precision;
- Pulsed Lasers;
- Radar Measurement;
- Slopes;
- Waveforms;
- Communications and Radar