Numerical and experimental radar cross section analysis of the quadrocopter DJI Phantom 2

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical and experimental scattering analysis of the quadrocopter DJI Phantom 2 at 10 GHz. Major goal of the study is to evaluate the suitability of simplified quadrocopter models for numerical radar cross section (RCS) investigations. Mono- and bistatic RCS results are obtained by the finite element method and the method of moments. As structural parts of the quadrocopter are made of plastic and electronic components consist of metal, focus is put on the numerical modeling of mixed dielectric-metallic objects. Thereby, different materials and model resolutions are examined and their influence on the scattered field is analyzed. Moreover, we investigate the impact of approximated excitations as well as object misalignments in order to quantify potential error sources. Numerical results are compared with measurements which have been carried out in a anechoic chamber. Deviations to measurements are discussed and remedies are proposed.