Airborne GMTI using MIMO techniques

The performance of a ground moving target indicator (GMTI) radar is strongly driven by the length of the radar aperture, as longer apertures enable lower minimum detectable velocity (MDV) and better target geolocation. Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques can enable the use of long sparse array geometries while avoiding the adverse sidelobe effects typical of such arrays. In 2009 an experiment was conducted at Ft. Devens, MA to collect MIMO GMTI data on instrumented ground targets. A reconfigurable S-band antenna array was programmed to transmit both conventional single-input multiple-output (SIMO) and MIMO waveforms. Analysis of the data indicates improved detection performance with the MIMO techniques compared to the conventional SIMO approach.