An ISAR simulator for ships

The authors describe techniques used to simulate ISAR (inverse synthetic aperture radar) images of ship models experiencing angular motions such as yaw, pitch, and roll. The simulation incorporates target modeling, radar scattering estimation, and image formation. It is pointed out that the ISAR and SAR simulators can produce very realistic images using the processing techniques described. The most critical procedure takes place during the construction of the ship model; the closer the model resembles the real ship, the more accurate the simulation will be. To some degree, the sea-state defined by the user will affect the amount of detail and ship structure information that can be extracted from the image.<>