| The radar cross section (RCS) of a warship plays an important role in its overall ability to survive in a hostile environment. The proliferation of sophisticated signal processors in today's radar systems, in particular missile seekers, makes it ever more difficult for warships to deceive or elude hostile intentions. The RCS has thus become a more predominant factor in the design of major warships across the world. There are three major means of determining the RCS of a complex object like a ship: scale modeling measurement, full-scale measurement and numerical modeling. This work concentrates on the significance of geometry in modeling an object numerically for RCS analysis. In this research, the object chosen to be modeled was the Canadian Patrol Frigate (CPF).; The work undertaken in this project was part of an effort directed by the Countermeasures Section of the Electronic Warfare Division of the Defense Research Establishment Ottawa. In essence, a computer aided design (CAD) model of the CPF suitable for RCS analysis was generated using a modified version of a software program called RAPPORT, which stands for Radar Signature and Prediction by Physical Optics and Ray Tracing. As the name implies, this software generated by the TNO Physics and Electronics Laboratory in the Netherlands is a high frequency method program which uses physical optics to predict the RCS of a complex object. Once complete, the model would be used to help ascertain the effectiveness of RCS reduction techniques prior to proceeding with expensive costs in time and resources related to installation.; In order to keep this document unclassified, the results presented concentrate on a single aspect of the findings made in this project, that being the importance of precision in generating the CAD model of the object to be analyzed. |
