Stealth Waveform for Deceiving RF Sensing and Imaging Radar Systems

Background:

Modern RF sensing and imaging systems, including mmWave radars and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), are increasingly used in defense, autonomous vehicles, and security applications. While such systems can be attacked, existing techniques like jamming or simple spoofing are conspicuous, disruptive, or tied to specific processors. Because these systems rely on precise image reconstruction, carefully crafted perturbations could manipulate outputs—but until now, attackers lacked a practical, adaptable way to model targets, optimize deception signals, and remain covert.

Technology Overview:

This invention models the victim radar’s transmit/receive chain and image reconstruction pipeline, then applies gradient-based optimization to design a concurrent RF camouflage signal. By tuning delays and amplitudes, the signal reshapes the victim’s reconstructed image to match a desired target or decoy. A dynamic digital-twin loop updates parameters in real time to adapt to sensor drift and geometry errors. Validated in simulations and with FMCW and SAR platforms, the method is transferable across back-projection, FFT-based, and matched-filter processors. Unlike traditional jamming, the camouflage blends with normal signals, allowing stealthy and precise image manipulation.

Advantages:

• Stealthy deception that mimics natural imagery instead of causing interference
• Optimized for the final image, enabling precise hiding or decoy generation
• Works across multiple radar algorithms (BPA, RMA/FFT, MFA, etc.)
• Robust to sensor drift, geometry uncertainty, and environmental variation
• Operates with low hardware overhead using commercial radar modules
• Non-intrusive: achieves deception without service denial

Applications:

• Covert RF camouflage and decoy generation for defense systems
• Vulnerability assessment for autonomous vehicle radar and perception stacks
• Privacy shielding of buildings from unauthorized RF sensing
• Red-team testing of satellite/SAR and ground radar systems
• Research testbeds for adversarial RF sensing and countermeasure development

Intellectual Property Summary:

• US Provisional Patent Application 63/820,529 – Filed June 9, 2025
• Publications:
– Dorje, Lhamo, Xiaohua Li, and Soamar Homsi. “Evasive Camouflage Attack of RF Sensing and Imaging Systems.” ICC 2024 – IEEE International Conference on Communications, IEEE, 2024.
– Dorje, Lhamo, et al. “Security of RF Sensing and Imaging Systems in the Age of Digital Twins.” International Conference on Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems, Springer Nature, 2024.

Stage of Development:

Lab validated – Demonstrated in simulation and practical tests on FMCW and SAR platforms under varied imaging algorithms. TRL ~4.

Licensing Status:

This technology is available for licensing.

Licensing Potential:

Applicable to defense contractors, autonomous vehicle security firms, and radar technology developers seeking advanced methods for vulnerability assessment, RF camouflage, and countermeasure innovation.

Additional Information:

Simulation datasets, radar imaging results, and experimental validation reports available upon request.