Accession Number:

ADA399215

Title:

X-Band Radar Ground Clutter Statistics for Resolution Cells of Arbitrary Size and Shape

Descriptive Note:

Inhouse rept. Jan-Oct 1999

Corporate Author:

ARCON CORP WALTHAM MA

Personal Author(s):

• Weijers, Bertus
• Ernstmeyer, James
• Poirier, Leon

Report Date:

1999-10-01

Pagination or Media Count:

35.0

Abstract:

A procedure is developed for predicting the clutter reflectivity and probability density function of X-band radar clutter returns for resolution cells of arbitrary size and shape. The prediction uses high-resolution measurements of phase and amplitude of the ground reflections made by synthetic aperture radar SAR to estimate the properties of the clutter that would be observed with lower resolution radars. Clutter scene images collected by the MSTAR Program form the basis of this work. MSTAR public clutter scene data consists of spotlight mode X-band SAR images with typical resolution 0.3 x 0.3 m. Under certain assumptions, the statistics of the image pixels will approximate those of the associated clutter cells. The probability distribution of the complex pixel amplitudes is found to be significantly non-Gaussian. Larger resolution cells are constructed by coherently combining the returns from adjacent pixels. The statistical properties of clutter in these larger resolution cells is examined for a variety of cell sizes, shapes, and underlying terrain types.

Descriptors:

• *SYNTHETIC APERTURE RADAR
• *HIGH RESOLUTION
• *RADAR CLUTTER
• GROUND LEVEL
• MEASUREMENT
• SIZES(DIMENSIONS)
• CELLS
• PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
• STATISTICS
• TERRAIN
• REFLECTION
• PROBABILITY DENSITY FUNCTIONS
• IMAGES
• STATISTICAL ANALYSIS
• REFLECTIVITY
• X BAND
• LOW RESOLUTION
• SEARCHLIGHTS

Subject Categories:

• Active and Passive Radar Detection and Equipment
• Optics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE