A forward-looking proximity sensor comprises one or more antenna elements mounted on a carrier platform in a lateral direction of said carrier platform, said antenna elements being configured to transmit a modulated signal in a direction of travel of said carrier platform, said antenna elements receiving a reflected portion of said modulated signal from said target; and a processing unit configured to generate said modulated signal based on a baseband signal and a carrier signal, said processing unit further determining characteristics of said target based on said reflected portion of said modulated signal, said characteristics of said target indicating a range of said target and at least one feature of said target.
