RCS measurements of various drones at 24 GHz

Abstract

Radar is one of the technologies that can detect drones. We have previously proposed to use an ultra-wideband (UWB) radar, which uses quasi-millimeter wave band (24/26 GHz) or millimeter wave band (60/79 GHz), for drone detection. The radar cross section (RCS) of a radar target is an important factor related with the radar performance such as detection, tracking, and classification. This paper experimentally investigates the RCS patterns of five types of drones with different shapes, sizes, and the number of rotor blades (Phantom 3, Bebop Drone, 3DR Solo, Mavic Pro, and Matrice 600). RCS measurements were conducted at 24 GHz for two polarizations, H-H and V-V. As a result, we have confirmed that the mean RCS values of the drones vary from -8.1 dBsm to -19.1 dBsm depending on body size, shape, and polarization.