The NanoSAR For Drones

Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar in which sophisticated post-processing of radar data is used to produce a very narrow effective beam. It can only be used by moving instruments over relatively immobile targets, but it has seen wide applications in remote sensing and mapping.

The "NanoSAR" lightweight synthetic aperture radar made a 90 minute flight above Oregon aboard a small ScanEagle drone on 7 January, according to Boeing. The info gathered was successfully used to generate radar imaging of vehicles and structures, though at present the data has to be processed offboard after landing. Boeing believes it will soon be possible to generate imagery onboard and pass it over the air in real time, however.

The ScanEagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is a 40 lbs (18 kg) UAV designed for continuous mission of 15+ hours, cruising at speed of 50 kt at an altitude of 5,000m'. The system was designed for autonomous field operation. ScanEagle carries a payload of 6 kg, operating at a ceiling of 5,000 m'. It can be launched and retrieved over any terrain, including naval operations.

The system includes a UAV, a Sky Wedge hydraulic launcher, Sky Hook retrieving system, and mobile ground control element. The UAV is equipped with nose-mounted inertial-stabilized camera turret, designed to track an object of interest for extended periods of time. The gimbal carries either zoom CCD or IR sensor. Maximum level sped is 70 kt. ScanEagle is currently deployed with the US Marine Corps in Iraq, where the system flew over 4000 hours this by July 2005.


Now if they would station a few at the southern border ...