DARPA's VISAR Radar Completes Testing

DARPA’s Video Synthetic Aperture Radar (ViSAR) program recently completed flight tests, successfully demonstrating a new sensor that can capture real-time video through clouds.

The ViSAR program, which began in 2013, has been developing an Extremely High Frequency (EHF) targeting sensor to operate through clouds as effectively as current electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) sensors operate in clear weather. The program’s goal is to develop a cloud-penetrating EHF sensor in a moveable gimbal that could be mounted on a variety of aerial platforms to provide high-resolution, full-motion video for engaging moving ground targets in all weather conditions—cloudy or clear.

“The recent flight tests of the ViSAR sensor marked a major program milestone toward our goal, proving that we can take uninterrupted live video of targets on the ground even when flying through or above clouds,” said Bruce Wallace, program manager in DARPA’s Strategic Technology Office. “The EO/IR sensors on board the test aircraft went blank whenever clouds obscured the view, but the synthetic aperture radar tracked ground objects continuously throughout the flight.”

Wallace noted that cloud-penetrating radar—such as from space or other operational systems—has existed in other formats, but there has not been a synthetic aperture sensor, which can fit in a standard EO/IR sensor gimbal on aircraft and maintain frame rates fast enough to track maneuvering targets on the ground. The recent ViSAR tests took place on a modified DC-3 aircraft that flew at low and medium altitudes, allowing researchers to collect and compare data from the ViSAR, EO, and IR sensors mounted on standard sensor gimbals.

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Interesting development, thanks for sharing the update.

Only available on bigger platforms?

a reply to: anzha

interesting they noted that satellites can this EHF to look from space so i would assume it would swamp out counter radar systems. and i also wonder if the receivers on said aircraft could be tuned to use the backscatter from the satellites transmitters so that way the platform wouldn't have to emit from it's self

.....The recent ViSAR tests took place on a modified DC-3 aircraft.....

And people thought the B-52 was a long lived active duty aircraft.

a reply to: Sammamishman

my grandmother was a stewardess on a DC-3 back in the day with TWA, that was a time when people wore nice outfits to fly