Wide swathe multi-channel GPR systems for mine detection

Many national and international programmes are underway to develop more effective detection and clearance system for buried mines. Results from the US national programmes on mine detection suggest that radar can outperform conventional metal detectors, which only respond to the metal content of a mine and hence are insensitive to minimum metal mines. Radar, and in particular ground penetrating radar, used in conjunction with other sensor arrays can result in a improved fused performance in terms of reduced false alarm rate. This paper reviews some key aspects of the performance of radar as a wide swathe sensor, in particular the system design, antenna characteristics, signal and image processing as well as detection performance. Examples of the radar images of mines and the factors that influence the image quality are presented. Current demonstrator radar systems can detect buried AT mines with some confidence, but the reliable detection of AP mines will require further development of antennas, clutter rejection algorithms and target detection methods.