Robust algorithms of noise filtration for radar image processing

Novel robust filtration algorithms applicable to radar image processing are proposed. They were designed using the theory of robust point estimators combining rank estimators (R-estimators) and robust maximum likelihood estimators (M-estimators). The RM-filters designed enhance the quality of radar images, providing effective speckle suppression, impulsive noise removal, and edge preservation. Simulated images and remote sensing data demonstrate the properties of the proposed algorithms. It is shown that the proposed filters provide good visual quality of the images processed and have advantages in the ME sense in comparison to the standard filters when the noise level is high.