A CFAR Detection Algorithm for Generalized Gamma Distributed Background in High-Resolution SAR Images

In this letter, a novel constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detection algorithm for high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images is proposed with the generalized gamma distribution (GGD) modeling the background. At first, the method of log-cumulants is introduced for estimating the parameters of the GGD. In addition, a closed-form expression for the detection threshold of the CFAR algorithm is derived, which refers to the inverse incomplete gamma function. Finally, comparing with the algorithms using the Weibull, K-A, and G(A)(0) distributions for background, the advantages of the proposed algorithm, including maintaining the false alarm rate and the efficiency, are validated with an actual high-resolution SAR image.