ISAR imaging of targets at low elevation angles

The problem of inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) image reconstruction of targets at low elevation angle is considered. In this geometric condition the main causes affecting the reconstructed ISAR image are the multipath effect due to the reflection of the Earth´s surface and the angular motions of the target produced by external action like wind, fast maneuvering, and sea waves as in the case of ships. The aim of this work is to analyze the effects that the multipath and the target angular motions jointly produce on the ISAR image. The results show that multipath generates some artifacts in the image whereas the target oscillations undergo a spatial-dependent blurring of the point spread function of the ISAR system. These theoretical results are validated by presenting some numerical examples relevant to aircrafts and ships in rectilinear or circular motion. A wide discussion on possible solutions of this problem is made in the conclusion