Wind Turbine Blade Radar Signatures in the Near Field: Modeling and Experimental Confirmation

This paper presents methods and results in modeling wind turbine dynamic radar signatures in the near field. The theoretical analysis begins with the simpler case of modeling wind turbine blades as rectangular plates. The theoretical radar signature for the wind turbine in the near field is formulated and its main peculiarities are investigated. Subsequently, the complex shape of the blades is considered and the corresponding radar signatures are modeled. Theoretical modeling is confirmed for both cases via experimental testing in laboratory conditions. It is shown that the experimental results are in good accordance with the theoretically predicted signatures.