GNSS-based passive radar sensing using hybrid-aperture system

A hybrid-aperture radar system is being developed for passive, GNSS-based sensing and imaging missions. Different from previous work, the real aperture (RA) array has excellent cross-range resolution and electronic scanning capability, and synthetic aperture processing is applied for the dimension along the UAV/aircraft flight path. The hybrid aperture thus provides real-time, combined sensing capability and multiple functions. Multi-level signal synchronization and tracking is used to ensure the signal phase coherency and integrity. The advantages of covert radar sensing and reduced onboard computing complexity of this sensor are being demonstrated through experiments.