Measurement and analysis of aircraft and vehicle LRCS in outfield test

The measurement of aircraft and vehicle Laser Radar Cross Section (LRCS) is of crucial importance for the detection system evaluation and the characteristic research of the laser scattering. A brief introduction of the measuring theory of the laser scattering from the full-scale aircraft and vehicle targets is presented in this paper. By analyzing the measuring condition in outfield test, the laser systems and test steps are designed for full-scale aircraft and vehicle LRCS and verified by the experiment in laboratory. The processing data error 7% below is obtained of the laser radar cross section by using Gaussian compensation and elimination of sky background for original test data. The study of measurement and analysis proves that the proposed method is effective and correct to get laser radar cross section data in outfield test. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop structural concepts for different LRCS fuselage configurations constructed of conventional materials; (2) to compare these findings with those of aircrafts or vehicles; (3) to assess the application of advanced materials for each configuration; (4) to conduct an analytical investigation of the aerodynamic loads, vertical drag and mission performance of different LRCS configurations; and (5) to compare these findings with those of the aircrafts or vehicles.