Evaluation of sensor data collected with Eagle 1 and CARABAS-II during a field campaign i Vidsel in year 2002

During week 23 of 2002, FMV and F01 conducted experiments at RFN Vidsel test range on performance evaluation of airborne ground surveillance sensors. Two platforms, a UAV (Eagle 1) and FMV:s test aircraft TP86 collected data. Both radar and optical instruments took measurements. Eagle was equipped with a microwave radar (Ku-band) with SAR and GMTI modes to detect stationary and moving targets in open terrain. The Eagle also had an EO/IR sensor on a gyro-stabilized gimbal. The TP86 carried CARABAS-II, a VHF-band SAR, to detect targets concealed in foliage and in open terrain. Twenty-five vehicles of three different sizes were deployed in different target configurations. This report evaluates the sensors for three different cases: stationary targets in open terrain, stationary targets in foliage, and moving targets. The analysis focuses on the radar sensors since overcast conditions during the data collection prohibited the use of the EO/IR sensors for most of the flights. Analysis of the Eagle SAR images indicates four different imaging modes with resolution figures of 3, 1, 0.5, and 0.25 m. Detection in open terrain required 1 m resolution or better whereas the finest resolution of 0.25 m was required for reasonable target recognition performance. The Eagle SAR detected no vehicles in foliage whereas the CARABAS-II SAR detected the majority. CARABAS-II detects targets at a resolution of 2.5 m, which means it has a unique capability to combine robust target detection with wide-area coverage. Evaluation of the Eagle GMTI was also performed. Unfortunately, this work was hampered by problems of data availability and lime synchronization between sensor and moving targets. This report also includes a discussion on sensor combinations for future ISR missions.