Comparison of high-resolution ISAR imagery from measured data and synthetic signatures

In this paper, ISAR images generated from measured data are compared to those from computer simulation in order to evaluate the effectiveness of ISAR-based target identification. Three sets of images are generated including: (1) motion compensated images from measured data using a joint time-frequency technique, (2) reference images from measured data and GPS-derived aircraft attitude data, and (3) synthetic images predicted by Xpatch. Visual examination and correlation analysis are undertaken to compare the three sets of images. In addition, two problem areas including JEM line corruption of the measured images and 3D rotation of the target are identified.