Rank-order filters for FOPEN target detection

Issues associated with the radar detection of military targets that are concealed or camouflaged by forest clutter are described. The specific sensor platform can be categorized as an ultrawideband (UWB) foliage penetration (FOPEN) synthetic aperture radar (SAR). The discussion illustrates the fact that many contemporary approaches to FOPEN target detection are computationally intensive and/or require the implementation of elaborate training procedures. Alternative approaches, based the application of a set of simple rank-order filters (alternately known as order statistical or L filters), are presented. Initial results indicate impressive performance levels (in terms of probability of detection as a function of false-alarm rate) with respect to baseline constant false-alarm rate computations. A number of avenues for future investigations are cited.