Pulse compression with very low sidelobes in an airborne rain mapping radar

Pulse compression allows a substantial reduction in the peak transmitted power of a radar and is attractive for spaceborne remote sensing applications. In the case of a downward looking rain measuring radar, however, the range sidelobes associated with surface return can mask return from rain and must be kept to a minimum. The authors describe the pulse compression system for the NASA/JPL Airborne Rain Mapping Radar. This system uses time-domain weighting of the transmitted pulse and is able to achieve a range sidelobe level of -55 dB or better in flight tests. This is significantly lower than other values reported in the open literature