Simulation and Measurement Methods for RCS Estimations of a Scale Model Airplane

Abstract

In a military context, the radar cross section (RCS) of an airplane is a very important subject. For an RCS estimationobject, a scaled-down model is often employed for ease of measurements. Recently, electromagnetic simulations of the RCShas become very convenient because of developments in high-speed calculation methods such as MLFMM and HOBF inelectromagnetic simulators employing the MoM algorithm. As for the measurements, high-resolution measurements via thetime domain analysis are promising. In this paper, important estimation expressions for use with a scale model are brieflyexplained. In terms of calculations, comparisons are drawn between the actual calculation abilities of MoM, MLFMM, andHOBF at 18 GHz for a 1/48-scale model. In terms of measurement, a high-resolution measurement system employing acompact range and time domain analysis that is used in this study is explained. Next, the calculated and measured resultsare compared in order to show the accuracy of the obtained results. The results in vertical and horizontal planes of a scalemodel are shown at vertical and horizontal polarizations. Moreover, using the calculation method to determine estimatesat higher frequencies is also investigated in order to obtain the practical RCS value of a real-sized airplane