Investigation of the Effects of Target Feature Variations on Ballistic Missile RCS

Uncertainties in certain features of target geometries result in a loss of confidence in the signature assessment of the target. Knowledge of the impact to a target's radarcross section (RCS) due to changes to specific target features can assist to identifywhether uncertainty in a certain target feature warrants a loss of confidence in the targetsignature. This study will allow a development of a general "rule-of-thumb" on how theradar signature of a target varies as a function of the target's specific target features. Thetargets of interest which this study is centered around are fictitious ballistic missiles.Four target features that were investigated: fin size, nosecone shape, effect of panelriveting along the sides of the missile and the effects of heat shielding on the nosecone.By varying each of the four target features into a missile configuration and comparing toanother configuration, a relationship between specific target features and its effect on theradar cross section of a ballistic missile can be obtained. Based on the range of possibleconfigurations that target's feature can take, it is possible to estimate a range of possiblevalues of the radar signature. This will enable the user of the signature data to have abetter understanding of the target being assessed and target characteristics when acomplete knowledge of target configuration is unavailable.