RCS analysis of 3-Dimensional ship for SAR performance evaluation

Abstract:
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) geometry is considered to investigate the effect of 3-Dimensional target shape for a ship surrounded by water. The back-scattered Radar Cross Section (RCS) has been evaluated using a double-scattering closed-form model valid for a rectangular target and based on the Kirchhoff approximation along with the geometrical optic solution. Extending this approach for a more realistic target, the RCS is analyzed as a function of the target parameters involved: size of bow, stern and gunwale. A numerical RCS analysis and performance evaluations have been thoroughly discussed for a deeper analysis of the criticalities of ship detection.