THE DANISH SAR SYSTEM - DESIGN AND INITIAL TESTS

In January 1986 the design of a high-resolution airborne C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) started at the Electromagnetics Institute of the Technical University of Denmark. The initial system test flight took place in November and December 1989. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of the system, its implementation, and performance. The paper will show how digital technology has been utilized to realize a very flexible radar with variable resolution, swath-width, and imaging geometry. The motion-compensation algorithms implemented to obtain the high resolution will be outlined, as well as the special features built into the system to ensure proper internal calibration. The data processing system, developed for the image generation and quality assurance, will be sketched, with special emphasis on the flexibility of the system. Sample images and a preliminary performance evaluation will be presented, demonstrating that the design goals have been met. Finally, the on-going system upgrades and the planned scientific utilization of the C-band SAR will be described.