In-flight icing hazard detection radar

Abstract

Technology Service Corporation (TSC) is developing a prototype dual-frequency airborne radar system for remotely sensing hazardous in-flight icing conditions. The system, which is based on integrating a Ka-band radar into a commercial X-band weather radar, will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of the differential attenuation technique used to remotely measure cloud liquid water content (LWC). This paper provides an overview of in-flight icing phenomenology, discusses differential attenuation theory and the LWC measurement technique, and presents some measured and simulated results. This work is being supported, under a Phase II SBIR Contract (NAS399103), by NASA/Glenn under the technical direction of Andrew Reehorst.