RCS of Complex Targets: Original Representation Validated by Measurements—Application to ISAR Imagery

In this paper, we propose and investigate a model based on asymptotic methods, designed to compute the radar cross section (RCS) of complex targets. A combined method of physical optics, geometrical optics, and the equivalent current method is applied to establish an effective backscattering analysis procedure. The scattering model includes shadowing effects, multiple bounce, and diffraction by edges. This model is used for RCS estimation and to generate inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) raw data for imaging applications. We review the theoretical aspects and describe the proposed model and experimental setup in detail. Numerical results are provided and compared with the experimental results obtained in the anechoic chamber of ENSTA Bretagne to validate the approach through the computation of the RCS for canonical objects and a generic boat. Finally, a parallelepiped representation of the RCS is presented to be used for ISAR imagery, and the first results concerning the ISAR imaging of a generic boat are provided.