Synthetic aperture radar raw signal simulator for both pulsed and FM-CW modes

Simulated raw radar signals prove to be very useful at the first stages of testing radar signal processing algorithms and procedures. This is particularly true for synthetic aperture radar (SAR), where the costs of real signals acquisition are very high due to the costs of building the system as well as the costs of mission (air or space-borne). This paper describes a multifunctional SAR raw signal simulator that has been used for the verification of SAR image synthesis algorithms. Generated signals can be imitated for pulsed as well as FM-CW radars both in SLAR and squinted cases, it is also possible to choose between video and intermediate frequency signals. The simulator allows us to generate echo signals from stationary and moving targets. The user is able to differentiate the statistic properties of received echo signals for each target, thus allowing us to generate different types of reflecting surfaces. If present, a real raw SAR signal can be merged with a simulated one to produce more complicated scenarios. The paper presents results of the simulation of raw signals and their image after SAR processing.