Development of novel transmit waveforms for SAR-based target detection

This paper demonstrates methods of optimizing a sequence of radar transmit waveforms for a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) based upon specific knowledge of a targets radar cross section (RCS). The intent is to maximize target detection performance. It is required to have a priori knowledge of targets radar cross section (RCS). Two approaches are evaluated, the matched waveform and the variable chirp waveform. Examples are shown for each approach for a synthetically generated target data set.