Measurement Assurance and Certification of Radar Cross Section Measurements

摘要

A standard for radar cross section (RCS) measurement assurance is being developed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and we discuss several aspects of its creation. Uniform technical criteria are required to sustain and improve measurement quality. Determination of significant sources of error and the quantitative assessment of measurement uncertainty are fundamentally important. A fully developed measurement assurance program (MAP) goes beyond technical range characterization issues. Additional MAP features include range operations, interlaboratory comparisons, traceability, and documentation, to name a few. To ensure that RCS ranges operate in conformance with standards established and accepted by the RCS community, periodic reviews of range MAPs will be conducted by a certifying board composed of peers. Well-defined technical and managerial requirements must be satisfied for certification to be granted.