Multi-scale modeling of an aircraft coated with complex composite materials

The continued evolution of lighter, stealthier, and more efficient aircraft has fostered longstanding drive for multifunctional composite materials that combine good mechanical, thermal, and electromagnetic (EM) properties together. Because of the fine features present in the composite materials and large size of a typical aircraft, analysis of scattering from such a target, which is crucial for application related to radar detection and recognition, is extremely challenging. In this paper, we present an approach consisting of micro- and macro-scale simulations to analyze the impact of composite materials on the radar signature of an aircraft.