Measurement Study of EM Backscattering from Radar Antenna Footprint Confined Infinite Surfaces

We pointed out that the measured land and sea clutter samples are always “near-field” scattering data in a previous paper. Whether the radar platform is land vehicle-based, airborne or spaceborne, the illuminated region is directly confined by the radar antenna footprint, whose area is proportional to the antenna beamwidth and the distance between the radar and the surface being surveyed. In this work, a comparative measurement study of the backscattering characteristics is made for both the finite plate and the antenna footprint confined infinite conductive surface. The measurements are implemented in an anechoic chamber at the microwave 10GHz band.