AMBER: An X-band FMCW digital beam forming synthetic aperture radar for a tactical UAV

An X-band Digital Array Synthetic Aperture Radar for a Short Range Tactical UAV is presented. This system is demonstrated on a manned helicopter and motor glider. The Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave radar principle in combination with digital beam forming over 24 receive channels is used to meet the stringent payload requirements of Tactical UAVs with respect to Size, Weight, Power and Cost. The paper presents the concept, key parameters (15 cm resolution, 5 km maximum range, 6 kg, 7×30×40cm
³
and 50W dissipation), functional capabilities and experimental results.