Utilization of an octocopter as a two-way field probe for electro-magnetic field measurements at an outdoor radar cross section range

Dynamic field probes intend to provide an efficient method for measuring the electromagnetic characteristics observed within an RCS test range. Outdoor RCS test ranges typically consume a large volume that require extensive time and labor to measure. This research explores the use of a shielded octocopter to function as a two-way field probe. The shield provides a characterizable RCS measured by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) Random Noise Radar (RNR) system to determine the deviations exhibited on incident electromagnetic plane waves within the test volume. Accomplishing the analysis of magnitude and phase deviations requires creating an RCS calibration data set of the shielded octocopter and comparing its difference to the RCS measured during the drone's flight at the outdoor range. Uncertainty must be considered in the field probe measurement. The octocopters GPS and INS modules contribute to uncertainty in the location and orientation of the field probe as it is measured by the noise radar. The uncertainty values determined from the position and pose of the octocopter are applied to a Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis in which the result provides a notional range of possible RCS measurements observed from the field probe.