Airborne Dual-Polarized Ku-Band FMCW Synthetic Aperture Radar for Snow Measurements

We developed an ultra-wideband (UWB) dual-polarized Ku-band frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) airborne radar operating over the 13–18 GHz frequency range for measurements over snow and other targets. The radar uses a dual-polarized, shared-aperture Vivaldi antenna array and transmits 10 mW over a 180 μs sweep duration at a pulse repetition frequency of 5 kHz. In February 2023, we installed the system on a Twin Otter aircraft and performed measurements over snow in Grand Mesa, Colorado, USA. We collected data in nadir mode over a small transect to evaluate and optimize radar performance. Our results showed that the low-power airborne radar mapped snow-air and snow-land interfaces of 1.2–2.5 m thick snow.