Analysis of RCS of Low Observable Aircraft in VHF Band

Abstract

Electromagnetic signatures of a low observable aircraft have been studied in VHF band. First of all, a three-dimensional model of the aircraft has been established for numerical computation. Then, monostatic and bistatic radar cross sections (RCS) have been calculated. The model of the aircraft is made by a curved surface, and commercial as well as in-house three-dimensional electromagnetic code which is based on the method of moments (MoM) is utilized to calculate the RCS. A characteristic basis function method (CBFM) and a multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) have been applied to analyze electrically large objects. The change of the monostatic RCS is very large depending on the direction of the incident wave. The maximum value is about 42 dBsm at the top and bottom of the aircraft, and the minimum value is about −10 dBsm at the front and back of the aircraft. It is found that the bistatic RCS also changes dramatically depending on the direction of the incident wave. The direction of maximum RCS occurs around specular reflection, and the value of maximum RCS ranges from 27 dBsm to 43 dBsm. On the other hand, the direction of the minimum RCS occurs irregularly, and the value is in the level of −30 dBsm.