Real time evaluation of the phase velocity of the ocean dominant wave using a coherent radar system

A simple airborne radar system and a new processing algorithm are proposed for determining the magnitude and the direction of the phase velocity of the dominant ocean wave in real time. The radar consists of a side looking antenna, a coherent front-end and a digital processor. The fixed antenna has a wide beamwidth in elevation and azimuth. The method, which can be carried out in real time, is based on the reflectivity displacement method (RDM). Flying a certain pattern and using an inertial navigation system (INS) together with a Global Positioning System (GPS) for determining the direction and magnitude of the aircraft´s forward velocity, one can obtain the phase velocity of the dominant ocean wave