Full Wave Monostatic Radar Cross Section Computation for Challenging RF Problems

Abstract—Radar Cross Section (RCS) computation plays a critical role in the design and analysis of scattering objects in both civilian and military applications. Reliable and efficient simulation tools enable RCS minimization during the design
phase, reducing reliance on measurements to the final stages of development. Two main classes of techniques are typically used for RCS prediction: high-frequency asymptotic methods and full-wave numerical methods. Unlike high-frequency approximations, full-wave methods such as the Method of Moments (MoM) provide highly accurate results by rigorously solving Maxwell’s equations removing any approximation. However, their application to electrically large problems is limited by high computational and memory cost. In this paper we present results from an efficient and accurate full-wave solver when computing the monostatic RCS of electrically large structures. The solver employs higher-order basis functions to reduce the number of unknowns and the Multilevel Fast Multipole Method (MLFMM) to significantly lower memory usage and computational time. Additionally a new so-called Fast Direct Solver (FDS) is utilised for a smaller selection of these RCS calculations. After a brief description of the implementation, several application cases are presented and validated against measurements and benchmarks, demonstrating the capability to handle complex scenarios with short simulation times and cost-effective hardware.

Publication: Antenna Measurement Techniques Association, AMTA 2025

Place: Tucson, Arizona, USA