Challenges for operational use of ground-based high-resolution SAR for landmines and UXO detection

Abstract:
Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a suitable tool for detection of landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Hence it is considered as a complementing sensor since nearly two decades. However, most GPRs operate in very close distance to ground in a rather punctual method of slow scanning an area of interest. In contrast, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a technique allowing fast and laminar stand-off investigation of an area. However, the use of a ground-based SAR system for buried object detection generates new requirements on the whole system setup, the radar hardware, the image processing algorithms, and the motion compensation. Facing these challenges this paper describes relevant requirements of a field-tested vehicle-based SAR system. Representative measurement results are shown.