Evaluation of the Sensitivity of Radar Cross Section Predictions to Uncertaintiesin Material Characteristics

摘要

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of material characteristicsuncertainties on Radar Cross Section (RCS) predictions. Many methods have been developed to predict the RCS of metal objects, but for material coated objects, these methods depend on the accuracy of measured material characteristics. Material characteristics of three dielectrics were measured by two separate X-band waveguide set-ups. RCS measurements were then made to evaluate the accuracy of RCS predictions using these measured material characteristics. A six inch square slab of each material was measured with and without a metal plate backing. A six inch square flat metal plate was also measured to qualify the accuracy of the range. RCS predictions were made using two methods. The first method calculated the reflection coefficients of the materials using transmission line theory and then applied physical optics theory to predict the RCS. The second method utilized Xpatch, a high frequency RCS prediction code. The comparison of