Publications

Galleries, Data & Publications

The Sandia National Laboratories Radar Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) team is at the forefront of radar technology innovation.

Our research and development efforts produce significant contributions to the scientific community and national security. This page provides access to our published works, technical reports, and news articles, showcasing our advancements and expertise.

Radar Articles & News Releases

Stay informed about the latest breakthroughs and achievements from Sandia’s Radar ISR team through our news releases and feature articles. These publications highlight our innovative projects, successful deployments, and the impact of our work.

Advancing Radar Technology

Explore the cutting edge of radar innovation at Sandia. 

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Recognizing Radar Targets Quickly and Accurately

Discover how Sandia’s radar systems are advancing target recognition capabilities. 

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Copperhead Army

Understand Sandia’s contributions to military radar systems, such as the Copperhead.

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Sandia MiniSAR Flies for First Time on Unmanned Aerial System

Read about the successful maiden flight of Sandia’s MiniSAR on an unmanned platform, showcasing our miniaturization and integration capabilities.

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Explore examples of how machine learning is used at Sandia to investigate and solve complex scientific problems, including the ability to recognize radar targets quickly and accurately.

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SAR Imagery

Sandia has collected and real-time processed over 400,000 synthetic aperture radar images.

The following is a selection of imagery available for your viewing, sorted by frequency band and/or program. (Note: Resolutions are for original images prior to downsampling for web viewing.)

Images are available for public reproduction. Please credit Sandia using the following statement ‘Courtesy of Sandia National Laboratories, Radar ISR’

Click thumbnails below to enlarge images.

Frequency Bands

Tres Hermanas Crevasses in Antarctica. From Sandia’s X-band AntarcticaSAR.
Tres Hermanas Crevasses The Tres Hermanas Crevasses in Antarctica. From Sandia’s X-band AntarcticaSAR.
Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of Antarctica shear zone showing movement of ice as much as 3ft per day. From Sandias X-band AntarcticaSAR.
Antarctica Shear Zone Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of Antarctica shear zone showing movement of ice as much as 3ft per day. From Sandias X-band AntarcticaSAR.
Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of McMurdo Station in Antarctica. From Sandias X-band AntarcticaSAR.
McMurdo Station Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of McMurdo Station in Antarctica. From Sandias X-band AntarcticaSAR.
South Pole Traverse This shear zone is the road to the South Pole known as the very dangerous South Pole Traverse.
South Pole Traverse This shear zone is the road to the South Pole known as the very dangerous South Pole Traverse.
Ku-band image of a building on Kirtland AFB.
Kirtland AFB Building Ku-band image of a building on Kirtland AFB.
Ku-band image of Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Jacksonville Naval Air Station Ku-band image of Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Ku-band SpotDwell image of a building at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Jacksonville Naval Air Station Building Ku-band SpotDwell image of a building at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Ku-band image of a radar testing facility near Albuquerque, NM.
Radar Testing Facility Ku-band image of a radar testing facility near Albuquerque, NM.
Kirtland AFB historic rescue aircraft and helicopter static displays.
Rescue Aircraft Display Kirtland AFB historic rescue aircraft and helicopter static displays.
Ku-band image of a baseball diamond on Kirtland AFB.
KAFB Baseball Diamond Ku-band image of a baseball diamond on Kirtland AFB.
Ka-band image of a helicopter and plane static display near Albuquerque, NM.
Helicopter & Plane Ka-band image of a helicopter and plane static display near Albuquerque, NM.
Ka-band image of a gate at Kirtland AFB. Note the vehicles lined up to enter from the right.
Kirtland AFB Gate Ka-band image of a gate at Kirtland AFB. Note the vehicles lined up to enter from the right.
Ka-band image of a golf course clubhouse at Kirtland AFB. Note the radar shadows of golfers on the putting green.
KAFB Golf Course Ka-band image of a golf course clubhouse at Kirtland AFB. Note the radar shadows of golfers on the putting green.
Ka-band image of C-130s on flight line at Kirtland AFB.
KAFB C-130s Ka-band image of C-130s on flight line at Kirtland AFB.
Ka-band image of a variety of military vehicles in the desert near Albuquerque, NM.
Military Vehicles in Desert Ka-band image of a variety of military vehicles in the desert near Albuquerque, NM.
Ka-band image of a dirt road access gate at Kirtland AFB.
KAFB Dirt Road Access Ka-band image of a dirt road access gate at Kirtland AFB.

Modes & Methods

Spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of a reapplication yard at Kirtland AFB.
KAFB Reapplication Yard Spotlight Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of a reapplication yard at Kirtland AFB.
SpotDwell image of a building at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Jacksonville Naval Air Station Building SpotDwell image of a building at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Stripmap Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of Washington DC.
Washington DC. Stripmap Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image of Washington DC.
Arbitrary Stripmap image of the Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Jacksonville Naval Air Station Arbitrary Stripmap image of the Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
Circle pass of a solar tower near Albuquerque NM.
Solar Tower Circle pass of a solar tower near Albuquerque NM.
High Range Resolution HRR example.
HRR Example High Range Resolution HRR example.
Maritime Search Mode example of a ship at sea.
Maritime Search Mode Maritime Search Mode example of a ship at sea.
Coherent Change Detection CCD image highlighting several changes between images taken of the same scene at two different times.
Coherent Change Detection Coherent Change Detection CCD image highlighting several changes between images taken of the same scene at two different times.
Normalized Coherence Product NCP image showing only the most recent changes in a scene between two CCD images referenced CCD images displayed on the left.
Normalized Coherence Product Normalized Coherence Product NCP image showing only the most recent changes in a scene between two CCD images referenced CCD images displayed on the left.
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar IFSAR mosaic of greater Washington DC area from Sandias Rapid Terrain Visualization RTV program.
Greater Washington DC. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar IFSAR mosaic of greater Washington DC area from Sandias Rapid Terrain Visualization RTV program.
Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR of several fields and buildings at Kirtland AFB. Taken by Sandias FARAD radar.
KAFB Fields & Buildings Polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR of several fields and buildings at Kirtland AFB. Taken by Sandias FARAD radar.
Bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image from Sandias Mini RF on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO.
Onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Bistatic Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image from Sandias Mini RF on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter LRO.
Example of an identified target in a Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image utilizing Sandias Automatic Target Recognition ATR technology.
SAR Identified Target Example of an identified target in a Synthetic Aperture Radar SAR image utilizing Sandias Automatic Target Recognition ATR technology.
Stationary truck with the engine running utilizing Sandias Vibrometry techniques.
Stationary Truck Image of a stationary truck with the engine running utilizing Sandias Vibrometry techniques.
Fine resolution StereoSAR image of Kirtland AFB housing next to a large field.
KAFB Housing Fine resolution StereoSAR image of Kirtland AFB housing next to a large field.

Technical Publications & Reports

Access a comprehensive collection of Sandia’s radar-related technical reports and publications, including our official SAND reports, through the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). These documents cover a wide range of topics, from fundamental radar theory to advanced system development and application.

Browse Reports on OSTI.gov

Downloadable Data Files

Sandia has contributed to the MATLAB® SAR Toolbox, a basic MATLAB library to demonstrate reading, writing, display, and simple processing of complex SAR data hosted by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).

Access the MATLAB SAR ToolBox