The world´s first comparison of outdoor RCS test ranges

In the mid-1960s the US Air Force solicited bids for an evaluation of the RCS measurement capabilities of outdoor RCS test ranges operating in the United States at the time. Under the direction of Ralph E. Hiatt, then Head of the University of Michigan Radiation Laboratory, Rad Lab researchers prepared and submitted what turned out to be the winning bid. Five test ranges were identified to participate in the evaluation. The assessment was based on a series of measurements of the RCS patterns of five precision test cylinders and two models of an Agena B satellite. Of the five participating test ranges, one never completed its test assignment, and the one range that completed all tests with the highest accuracy and lowest cost was also the first to be taken over by another company. One test range severely damaged the largest test object but never mentioned that fact in its final report.