DISCRIMINATING DECOYS FROM MISSILE TARGETS BY ABSOLUTE TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT WITH MULTI-COLOR INFRARED FOCAL PLANE ARRAYS

A precise measurement of a target’s temperature and emissivity will enhance a missile seeker’s ability to discriminate between harmless decoys and lethal payloads, thereby improving the effectiveness of the nation’s antiballistic missile defense systems. We propose to apply multi-color infrared radiometry to solve this problem. How sensitive is the technique to the target emissivity in each infrared band? To any background radiation? What are the minimum number of bands required? We will address these questions by developing algorithms and validate them by conducting experiments with QmagiQ’s existing 320x256 midwave/longwave dualband infrared camera on a variety of targets. In Phase 2, we will develop a minimum 4-color radiometric camera for measuring temperature and emissivity with greater precision.