Probability of detection of downed aircraft using SAR polarimetry

In developing a beaconless search and rescue capability to quickly locate small aircraft that have crashed in remote areas, NASA's Search and Rescue Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR(2)) program brings together advanced polarimetric synthetic aperture radar processing, field and laboratory tests, and state-of-the-art automated target detection algorithms. The fundamental idea underlying the search and rescue (S&R) approach is use of an airborne polarimetric radar. The downed aircraft is partly composed of metal, and consists of regular geometric shapes such as flat plates, dihedrals, trihedrals, etc., which produce a polarization signature expected to be distinct from that of surrounding terrain and foliage. Onboard polarimetric SAR image formation combined with automatic image exploitation will ultimately cue the S&R team to candidate crash sites in near real-time. We empirically examine the probability of detection (P-D) and false alarm rate (FAR) for crash site detection using polarimetry to discriminate between aircraft target signatures within natural clutter. This briefing will present the latest results from the S&R Program activities, providing an update to the last program presentation to the SPIE Meeting in 1999.