Incoherent addition of ISAR images from spatially distributed receivers for classification purposes

A popular approach for Non-Cooperative Target Identification is the use of 2D Inverse SAR images. To successfully identify a target it is necessary to compare a set of scattering centers in the ISAR image to a data base. In the conventional case of a monostatic radar, however, visibility of scattering centers varies with the target aspect angle. In this paper we show that the visibility of scattering centers can be improved by incoherent addition of images from spatially distributed radars. The main focus lies in the description and relevant results of a multistatic ISAR experiment carried out at Fraunhofer FHR.