RCS Turntable Range
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The RCS turntable range is comprised of an elevated platform built onto the side of the source tower of the antenna range and a heavyweight turntable located approximately 150 ft. away from and 3 ft. below the base of the tower. The platform can be elevated over a distance of approximately 90 ft. above the tower base, thereby providing a maximum height above the turntable of 93 ft. This measurement range allows RCS backscatter measurements to be made on tank-sized targets at elevation angles up to 32 degrees.

The area surrounding the turntable is clear of any protrusions that might produce extraneous backscattered signals or multiple reflections that would corrupt the accurate measurement of target characteristics. In addition, the area is landscaped to gradually slope away from the turntable, thereby causing principal scattering from the ground surface to be directed away from the measurement system. This also has a secondary effect of minimizing the collection of ground water in the turntable vicinity that could lead to enhanced backscatter and/or reflection from the ground. Absorbing panels can be placed around the target in a calculated fashion to minimize extraneous reflections from the turntable support surface. The flat surface of the turntable can also be covered with sod or foliage to simulate the typical surface found around a target in a realistic scenario.

 


 
The RCSTturntable (looking down from tower)


The turntable can support a vertical load in excess of 200,000 pounds (100 tons). A controller system allows the rotational speed of the turntable to be varied between 1.0 and 0.1 degree per second (corresponding to 10 and 1.0 revolutions in 60 minutes, respectively). The target support structure atop the turntable is level to within +/-0.1 degree, thereby allowing very accurate elevation angle pattern cuts to be taken.

The RCS measurement range is supported by a variety of instrumentation radars at frequencies from 5 GHz to 140 GHz. Available characteristics that are of particular importance in measurement of target parameters include multiple polarizations for target polarization matrix definition, and wideband frequency agility to enable high-resolution range profile determination.

 

 

 

 

 

The RCS Turntable (looking up to tower)

 

 

 

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