Multispectral, polarimetric and interferometric SAR imaging with the F-SAR airborne SAR instrument

The F-SAR airborne SAR instrument represents the successor of the E-SAR system of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which had previously been extensively used over the last three decades. Its development was triggered by the current demand for simultaneous acquisitions at different wavelengths and polarisations as well as by the demand for very high resolution in the order of decimetres. F-SAR is a modular development utilising state of the art hardware. With the recently completed X-band single-pass interferometer and the P-band subsystem, F-SAR is now ready for operational use. This paper presents the the various subsystems of F-SAR as well as the potential of this system for polarimetric, interferometric and multispectral operation. Some high-resolution result from recent system tests and calibration campaigns will be shown.