UAV-based radar surveillance

Purpose and goal:

In this project we will develop and test a radar system that can be mounted on a fairly simple UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) platform. The purpose of the radar system is to be able to monitor land areas, which finds applications in academic research as well as in industry. In academic research, the aim is to use the radar data to assess the health of forests and vegetation - while the industrial use is in surveillance and security applications. Experimental radar images will be generated and evaluated in the project.

Expected results and effects:

For the forest industry, high-resolution radar images can help detect damage to the forest population due to water shortage or insect infestations - before it is visible with optical sensors. This is of great importance for the development of the forest and of great economic importance for the forest industry. For security applications, we are building vital knowledge about how radar systems can be used on small flying platforms - something that is important in light of the world situation and in light of the importance UAVs have in today´s conflict areas.

Approach and implementation:

We plan to develop flexible radar systems based on commercially available digital backends with multiple digital channels. Much of the analog electronics, such as power amplifiers and antennas are available from previous development work, which will make the project cost-effective and with reasonable risk. Two different architectures will be evaluated, one built at Chalmers and one at Saab, which provides redundancy and increases the chance for a successful project. The results will be documented in reports and via video recordings of measurement campaigns.