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The Imaging and Detection Program (IDP) within Laser Programs at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in cooperation with the Hughes Aircraft Company has developed a versatile, high performance, airborne experimental test-bed (AETB) capability. The test-bed has been developed for a wide range of research and development experimental applications including radar and radiometry plus, with additional aircraft modifications, optical systems. The airborne test-bed capability has been developed within a Douglas EA-3B Skywarrior jet aircraft provided and flown by the Hughes Aircraft Company. The current test-bed payload consists of an X-band radar system, a navigation system, a high-speed data acquisition, and a real-time processing capability. The medium power radar system is configured to operate in a high resolution, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) mode and is highly configurable in terms of waveforms, PRF, bandwidth, etc. Antennas are mounted on a 2-axis gimbal in the belly radome of the aircraft which provides pointing and stabilization. Aircraft position and antenna attitude are derived from a dedicated navigational system and provided to the real-time SAR image processor for instant image reconstruction and analysis. This paper presents a further description of the test-bed and payload subsystems plus preliminary results of SAR imagery.

Modify Hughes x-band radar for airborne implementation. Upgrade to polarimetry, high-power, and add SLAR mode. Deploy in UK/US field experiments as needed.

We have developed a four‐band, IR radiometer for measuring methane and ethane plus propane in the 1% to 100% gas per volume of air range in liquefied natural gas spills. The instrument is a small and lightweight open‐cell, pyroelectric detector‐based sensor designed for field use. It compensates for attenuation because of dense fog and is sufficiently hardened to allow continuous operation in the transient flame front of an ignited natural gas cloud. The sensor transmits five determinations of the gas concentration each second to a data‐collection station on an interrupt‐driven, serial data link. It has an operational power requirement of 15 W at 12 V dc.