High-Precision Imaging Algorithm for Highly Squinted SAR With 3D Acceleration

Abstract

In conventional synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing algorithms, it is generally assumed that the platform performs a uniform linear motion. However, if there is a three-dimensional acceleration during the flight, the motion trajectory will greatly increase the image processing complexity, especially in highly squinted scenarios. This paper proposes a high-precision imaging algorithm for highly squinted SAR with 3D acceleration. Firstly, the range history is extended by the Taylor series, and then a two-dimensional non-uniform fast Fourier transform (2D-NUFFT) is presented to focus the SAR image in range velocity domain. Moreover, as terrain matching is required in practice, the range-velocity image is further transformed into range-azimuth domain. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm for highly squinted SAR imaging is verified with both simulation data for multi-point targets and experimental data for surface targets.