TARGET ACQUISTION SYSTEM AND RADON TRANSFORM BASED METHOD FOR TARGET AZIMUTH ASPECT ESTIMATION

A Radon transform based method that provides for target azimuth aspect estimation and target shape measurement. A Radon transform is applied to a binary (N.times.N pixels) target chip to extract target features that are then used to measure length, width, and diagonal features of the target. In parallel, these features are used to estimate the azimuth aspect angle, or size, of the target. The method is effective in discriminating targets from clutter. The method is also very time efficient and highly flexible in its operation because the features can automatically account for any target rotation or shift. The present invention also provides for a target acquisition system that employs the Radon transform based method for target azimuth aspect estimation.