US Air Force EarthRadar for UXO Cleanup

摘要

Millions of acres of Government owned properties are contaminated with UXO. The need exists to accurately and reliably assess the extent of contamination and to economically remediate the contaminated areas. UXO may be found on/and below ground surface as well as marine environments. As a result of war, military training and weapon testing, UXO contamination poses a threat to the general public and military personnel. This threat becomes more serious on or near the active installations seeking to clean their ranges, at sites designated for base realignment and closure (BRAC) and to Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS). In addition, the millions of mines deployed each year also fall under the general UXO category. In order to meet the ASC/WMGB requirements in cleaning up test ranges after munitions test, a GPR sensor technology, refer to as 'EarthRadar' system, was developed by Bakhtar Associates. Its capability was demonstrated and verified under field conditions. This paper further elaborates on the EarthRadar capability for detection of metalic and plastic targets in adverse ground which include salt saturated soil and ocean water with high salinity. On-going research activities, development of the next generation antennae and a 3-D volumetric reconstruction model/program to enhance the EarthRadar capability for target/clutter discrimination are briefly discussed. Such capability can eliminate false alarms associated with target identification and significantly reduce the cost of remediation.