A UAV SAR Prototype for Marine and Arctic Application

SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar ) systems are special types of radar that produce high resolution images (comparable to optical sensors) in all weather conditions, night and day. SAR sensors have many applications in marine and arctic applications. In this paper a compact SAR prototype system is developed for UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) platform. The radar is based on FMCW (Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave) radar mode. The system integrates a high performance RTK (Real Time Kinematic) GPS and IMU (inertial measurement unit) based motion compensation module, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) based controller and signal processing module. It has a resolution of 0.3 meter with the weight below 2 kg. It has been test and verified on the guide rail, car and integrated on a rotary UAV. The system will extend the capability of UAV in the marine and arctic remote sensing area.