Non co-operative air target identification using radar imagery: identification rate as a function of signal bandwidth

Non-cooperative identification of (air) targets is still an unsolved problem though being of high relevance in the context of reliable friend-foe identification. In the past many methods have been proposed and investigated, e.g., by using the infrared, acoustical, optical or radar signatures of the targets. Some of these methods are passive ones, having the advantage of not alerting the observed object, but with some other shortcomings such as very limited observation ranges or marginal resolutions. The approach presented in this paper is based on exploitation of radar images of aircraft. Considered are one-dimensional radar images (so-called high-range resolution profiles) and 2D ISAR images.