The phase error estimated by phase gradient autofocus(PGA) is not based on a finite order polynomial mode, so PGA has a good autofocus property for arbitrary order phase error and is fit for high resolution airborne SAR. But PGA has two shortcomings: first, it has a worse estimation property for fast changing phase error; second, there exists a section of linear phase in the phase error estimated by this algorithm. This paper introduces the idea of rank one phase estimate (ROPE) autofocus technique, and improves PGA. The improved PGA(IPGA) can successfully overcome both these shortcomings of PGA.