Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging using COTS Components

Abstract

Radar imaging calls for high resolution in at least two dimensions, typically in range and azimuth. Synthetic aperture radar techniques allow high resolution in azimuth without the need of a large physical antenna. For decades, imaging radar systems have been expensive and available only for special purposes such as space applications and high-end military airborne systems. This paper discusses an inexpensive and accessible means for synthetic aperture radar imaging. We present a short-range experiment of high resolution using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware components.