Implementation of a 35 GHz SAR sensor and a high resolution camera to enable real-time observation

Airborne real-time observation of large areas with multi sensor systems is a very important capability for many modern military and civil applications. To demonstrate the possibilities of current technologies for this application, the high performance 35 GHz SAR sensor MIRANDA35 and the high resolution optical camera DigiCAM- 40 were successfully implemented on the optionally piloted aircraft (OPA) Centaur. The most remarkable feature of this sensor system is the use of a FMCW Radar with high transmit power as a SAR sensor in combination with a high resolution optical camera. Furthermore, the real-time images of this multi sensor system were transferred via digital data link over a distance of more than 100 km to a ground station for fast data analysis. The stored radar and camera data were used for further offline processing at a high level of image resolution.