radar cross section


radar cross section

[′rā‚där ′krȯs ‚sek·shən] (electromagnetism) echo area

radar cross section (RCS)

radar cross section (RCS)Radar cross section of a combat aircraft from various angles. It looks bigger from directly below or directly from the top than in a turn. It is the least when viewed directly from the front or the rear and is maximum when viewed from either side.The measure of reflectivity of the received radar signals by an aircraft, it is expressed as square meters (m2). It is dependent on the true size, range, aspect, geometric shape, materials, surface texture, and other properties of the target aircraft. The most important element is the target aspect [i.e., the area normal (perpendicular) to the radar axis]. The higher the area, the greater the RCS.