Comparative analysis of airborne targets radar cross-section corner and lens simulators advantages and disadvantages

One of the main elements of modern and promising Unmanned Aircraft System – Target equipment is the various types of means of radar cross-section simulation in ultra-high frequency electromagnetic waves. At the present time, triangular, square, and circular types of corner reflectors radar cross-section simulators of air targets are quite widely used. Among the corner simulators, the square simulator provides the largest radar cross-section, but at the same time, it has the narrowest radiation indicatrix in both planes and less structural strength. The widest monostatic indicators in both planes are provided by triangular imitators, which determines their advantages in use despite the relatively low value of their radar cross-section. One promising direction for creating air targets radar cross-section simulation in radar band is using spherical and cylindrical Luneburg Lenses. Studies that have been conducted have shown that, under the conditions of the same size and wavelength of irradiation, simulators based on spherical and cylindrical Luneburg Lenses have a significantly larger radar cross-section compared to corner ones, allow to cover the entire range of wavelengths and the radar cross-section of modern air targets. The most significant radar cross-section is provided by simulators based on a Lüneberg spherical lens with a metalized segment as a “cap”.