China Develops First Microphotonic Radar Prototype For Enhanced Target Imaging

Scientists at Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a first prototype of microwave photonics-based radar, which analysts said could revolutionize the detection and imaging of targets for a wider range of military and civilian applications.

The new radar is said to have the features of fast-imaging, high resolution and clear identification of targets, having the highest resolution among all the micro-photonic radars currently known, and is even 30 times higher than similar radars worldwide, the Institute of Electronics at Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said in a statement on its website early this week.

The research team leader Li Wangzhe from CAS said that the prototype has passed laboratory testing and has quickly formed an image of a fast moving Boeing 737 jet, showing details such as wings and engines.

In the external field tests on aircraft including Boeing 737, the microwave photonics-based radar prototype which adopts the bistatic radar system and photon structure can clearly identify the structural details of the objects including the aircraft engine, tail section and flap track, the statement said.  

Compared with traditional radar models, the microwave photonics-based radar can produce and process radar wideband signals more efficiently and faster by leveraging the rich spectral resources and photonic technologies, the report claims.