Method and apparatus for simultaneous multi-mode processing performing target detection and tracking using along track interferometry (ati) and space-time adaptive processing (stap)

An apparatus comprising

• a transmitter/receiver including a transmitter, a first receiver device, and a second receiver device;
• a computer processor;
• and a computer memory;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to cause the transmitter/receiver to transmit a signal in the form of pulses from a moving platform towards a plurality of targets during a duration;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to receive at the first receiver device a first set of pulse returns back from the plurality of targets in response to the signal, wherein the first receiver device is fixed to the moving platform;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to receive at the second receiver device a second set of pulse returns back from the plurality of targets in response to the signal, wherein the second receiver device is fixed to the moving platform;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to determine a first subset of the first set of pulse returns;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to determine a first subset of the second set of pulse returns;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to determine a second subset of the first set of pulse returns;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to determine a second subset of the second set of pulse returns;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to subject the second subset of the first set of pulse returns to a synthetic aperture radar imaging process to form a first set of a first modified plurality of data items;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to subject the second subset of the second set of pulse returns to a synthetic aperture radar imaging process to form a second set of a first modified plurality of data items;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to subject the combination of the first set and second set of the first modified plurality of data items to an along track interferometry process to form data for an image;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to subject the first subset of the first set of pulse returns to a space time adaptive processing to form a first set of a second modified plurality of data items;
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to subject the first subset of the second set of pulse returns to a space time adaptive processing to form a second set of a second modified plurality of data items;
• and
• wherein the computer processor is programmed by computer software stored in the computer memory to combine the data for the image and the first and the second sets of second modified plurality of data items to determine a plurality of positions one for each of the plurality of targets;
• and
• wherein the computer processor is programmed to mark the plurality of positions, for each of the plurality of targets, on a map.