A novel polarization-space-time adaptive matched filter (PST-AMF) detector is proposed for slowly moving target detection in airborne polarimetric phased array radar in Gaussian clutter environments with unknown target polarization steering vector and clutter covariance matrix.The adaptive polarimetric detector has been developed by using the likelihood ratio test (LRT) principle

which incorporates firstly the estimation of the target polarisation into its detector.The quantitative expressions of probability of detection and false alarm are deduced.We also prove that it ensures constant false alarm (CFAR) property with respect to the covariance matrix of noise.More remarkably

it has the same performance

but a lower complexity

than the corresponding polarization-space-time generalized likelihood ratio test (PST-GLRT).The new PST-AMF detector performed significantly better than the traditional space-time adaptive matched filter (ST-AMF) detector

especially in the case of the target slowly moving.Finally

Simulations demonstrate the robustness of the detection algorithm.