An airborne wind profiling portable
radar (AWiPPR)
system comprising a mobile airborne platform including one or more navigation units configured to produce navigation data including at least the position and orientation of the mobile airborne platform. A
radar unit is mounted and positioned to the mobile airborne platform, the
radar unit is configured to transmit a wide-band frequency
modulated continuous wave radar
signal in a downward direction from the mobile airborne platform towards the ground and configured to continuously receive a reflected
signal from a plurality of clear air scatters (CAS) targets or volumetric targets and output radar data. An
inertial measurement unit (IMU) in communication with the one or more navigation units and the radar unit is configured to receive the navigation data and determine the position and orientation of the radar at a specific point in time and output IMU data. A
data acquisition unit in communication with the radar unit and the is configured to receive and time align radar data and the IMU data for each reflected
signal from each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets to provide an antenna pointing direction for each received reflected signal. The
data acquisition unit is configured to process the time aligned radar data and IMU data to determine a distance and a
Doppler velocity of each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets, provide a range, a velocity, and an antenna pointing direction for each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets, and calculate a vector wind velocity using the range, the velocity, and the antenna pointing direction for each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric scatters targets, The
data acquisition unit may be configured to further correct the range, the velocity, and / or the antenna pointing direction of each of the plurality of CAS targets or volumetric targets to accommodate for a motion shift in data produced by one or more on a
relative motion and orientation of the mobile airborne platform, a
Doppler spread in the range, the velocity and / or the antenna pointing direction, and a ground echo.