Ultra-wideband radar reflectivity of a drone in millimeter wave band

Abstract

UWB radar in millimeter wave band (79GHz) can provide very high range resolution since it can occupy a wider band than quasi-millimeter wave band (24/26 GHz). This letter proposes the use of a millimeter wave UWB radar for drone detection and experimentally investigates the reflection characteristics of a typical drone in the millimeter wave band compared with that in the quasi-millimeter wave band. First, the drone's radar cross section (RCS) is clarified. Next, radar echo characteristics for a flying drone are discussed. As a result, we have confirmed that the RCS in the millimeter wave band is larger than that in the quasi-millimeter wave band and the echoes from the rotors, which are a unique feature of drone, can be observed.