An imaging system for assisting operators of vertical takeoff vehicles in landing operations within environments of low visual acuity by profiling an area of interest, the area of interest being a desired landing surface, said system comprising: a plurality of transmitter elements (104, 205), wherein each transmitter element (104, 205) transmits a coded signal towards the area of interest; a plurality of receiver elements (106, 206), each receiver element (106, 206) receiving a plurality of return signals from the area of interest corresponding to the transmitted coded signals; and at least one processor connected to the receiver elements (106, 206) to receive the return signals therefrom, said processor being adapted to: separate the return signals for each transmitter to receiver path received by each of the receiver elements (106, 206) to form a plurality of data channels; form a plurality of beams from the plurality of data channels by co-phasing the data channels to remove the phase shifts associated with each of the received signals angle of arrival and summing the data channels of each receiver and wherein each beam includes a first received signal; produce a set of range profiles from the data contained in each of the plurality of beams; measure the distance to the nearest point in each beam based on delay time for receipt of the first return signal in each beam; produce a terrain profile of the area of interest from the distance measurements; compare the terrain profile with a threshold value denoting level clearance and flatness to safely land the vertical takeoff vehicle within the area of interest to determine suitable and unsuitable areas; and display an image of the terrain profile of the area of interest with the suitable and unsuitable areas identified on the terrain profile. a plurality of transmitter elements (104, 205), wherein each transmitter element (104, 205) transmits a coded signal towards the area of interest; a plurality of receiver elements (106, 206), each receiver element (106, 206) receiving a plurality of return signals from the area of interest corresponding to the transmitted coded signals; and at least one processor connected to the receiver elements (106, 206) to receive the return signals therefrom, said processor being adapted to: separate the return signals for each transmitter to receiver path received by each of the receiver elements (106, 206) to form a plurality of data channels; form a plurality of beams from the plurality of data channels by co-phasing the data channels to remove the phase shifts associated with each of the received signals angle of arrival and summing the data channels of each receiver and wherein each beam includes a first received signal; produce a set of range profiles from the data contained in each of the plurality of beams; measure the distance to the nearest point in each beam based on delay time for receipt of the first return signal in each beam; produce a terrain profile of the area of interest from the distance measurements; compare the terrain profile with a threshold value denoting level clearance and flatness to safely land the vertical takeoff vehicle within the area of interest to determine suitable and unsuitable areas; and display an image of the terrain profile of the area of interest with the suitable and unsuitable areas identified on the terrain profile. separate the return signals for each transmitter to receiver path received by each of the receiver elements (106, 206) to form a plurality of data channels; form a plurality of beams from the plurality of data channels by co-phasing the data channels to remove the phase shifts associated with each of the received signals angle of arrival and summing the data channels of each receiver and wherein each beam includes a first received signal; produce a set of range profiles from the data contained in each of the plurality of beams; measure the distance to the nearest point in each beam based on delay time for receipt of the first return signal in each beam; produce a terrain profile of the area of interest from the distance measurements; compare the terrain profile with a threshold value denoting level clearance and flatness to safely land the vertical takeoff vehicle within the area of interest to determine suitable and unsuitable areas; and display an image of the terrain profile of the area of interest with the suitable and unsuitable areas identified on the terrain profile.