The use of SAR-ATI for maritime surveillance and difficult target detection

This paper discusses the detection of low scatter cross-section maritime targets in a high clutter background using SAR multi-channel along track interferometry. Statistical arguments are presented based on the covariance matrix which enable the determination of the channel weights required to achieve maximum attenuation of false alarms produced by breaking waves. An example is shown of a target (a buoy) with scatter cross-section comparable with the false alarms. A false alarm attenuation of up to 16.1 dB relative to the target is demonstrated for a three-beam interferometer with no a priori knowledge of the target or false alarms. Applications include detection of small stealthy boats and other difficult maritime targets.