Novel Space-Time Processing Method for Airborne SAR to Detect and Image the Slowly Moving Targets

In the paper the problem of the ground clutter rejection for airborne SAR is discussed. The features of space-time clutter filtering and clutter spectrum of airborne SAR imaging are analysed. It is pointed out that there exist some problems such as Doppler ambiguity and blind speed band expansion when STAP filtering is applied to the ground clutter cancellation. Aiming at the solving of difficulties in detecting and imaging the slowly moving target with single-channel airborne SAR, a new method suitable for multi-channel airborne SAR to detect and image the slowly moving target is proposed, which can effectively avoid the blind speed and Doppler ambiguity and keep the processed data rate lower. Computer simulation results show that this method is valid. Compared with other method for detecting and imaging the slowly moving targets, the improvement factor obtained by the proposed method is narrower than that.