Radar cross-section estimation for simple shapes

Radar cross section (RCS) methods for simple shapes are reviewed with special attention being devoted to results rather than to derivations of the formulas involved. In addition, special emphasis is placed on an approach which can be extended to "complex" shapes. Where possible, comparisons between theory and experiment are provided to give a measure of the accuracy obtainable via the use of these techniques. The discussion is limited to perfectly conducting bodies: in particular, ellipsoids, finite cones, ogives, cylinders, thin wires, wire loops, and flat plates. An attempt is made to cover the complete spectrum of body dimension to wavelength ratios; that is, the Rayleigh region, the resonance region, and the optics region are all considered from the points of view of both monostatic and bistatic phenomena. Since one motivation for these considerations is to describe the radar reflectivity characteristics of complex geometries, this paper is closely connected with the subject matter of another paper.