Measurement of the Wind Vector Over Sea by an Airborne Radar Altimeter Using an Antenna Characterized by Different Beamwidth in the Vertical and Horizontal Planes

In this letter, a possibility of recovering the wind vector over sea using an airborne radar altimeter in a short-pulse scatterometer mode is discussed. The nadir-looking wide-beam antenna, with the modified beam shape forming an ellipse footprint, is assumed for the purpose of analysis. Simultaneous range Doppler discrimination techniques are also used and a measuring algorithm of the sea-surface wind speed and direction is proposed.