Validation of the DTU ETC Scattering Test Facility for Radar Cross Section Measurements

Accurate measurements of electromagnetic wave scattering is essential in many applications including radars, antennas, and metasurfaces, among others. In this work, we use the recently established DTU Electromagnetic Test Centre Scattering Test Facility to measure the monostatic radar cross section (RCS) of well-known objects with the purpose of validating the facility. The achieved results for metallic spheres of various sizes demonstrate measurable RCS levels down to -50 dBsm (-70 dBsm) with an accuracy of ±0.5 dB (±2 dB) from 4 GHz to 18 GHz. A rectangular metallic plate with a larger RCS was also characterized in the Ku-band. The initial measurements exhibit a dynamic range of 80 dB with ±2 dB accuracy for the upper and lower RCS levels. Future works involve lower-frequency RCS measurements and further analysis of the dynamic range and the obtained results will be presented at the conference together with the RCS measurements of complex scatterers.