A wideband imaging radar for through-the-wall surveillance

With sponsorship from the National Institute of Justice and the Air Force Research Laboratory, AKELA developed a brassboard imaging radar suitable for portable, fixed in place operation with a maximum range of 100 meters. Experiments demonstrated that the radar detects an individual at a range of 12 meters through three internal walls, at 40 meters through dense foliage, and forms images through reinforced concrete walls. We found, however, that to be operationally practical, it would be necessary to increase the speed of the radar and display processing, and to develop a more robust imaging antenna array. A second generation radar imaging system is currently under development. The radar is frequency agile operating between 500 MHz and 2 GHz, has a maximum range of 250 meters, forms images at 10 frames per second, and uses a random array of antennas to improve image resolution and reduce ghosts.