The Hughes Aircraft Company installed two compact ranges for RCS measurements at their facility in El Segundo, California. (The facility now belongs to Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems .) The Howland Company designed these ranges around March Microwave Dual Reflector Compact Ranges.

The Howland Company established the chamber size and the performance criteria for both ranges. We were responsible for the electromagnetic design and the design of the shield envelope. We developed the target handling and access equipment and procedures. We assisted Hughes in the evaluation of construction contractors' proposals and reviewed the contractor's plans and specifications for compliance with the shielding and anechoic requirements.

All images on this page courtesy Hughes Aircraft

Left and above: Scale Model of an F-18 in
Chamber 1, 6 x 6 x 12 foot Quiet Zone.

Below: Chamber 2, showing the Low-RCS Pylon and the Target Access Door and Manlift.

Chamber 1 has a 6 x 6 x 12 ft quiet zone. The chamber has a 20 x 20 ft pneumatically controlled access door through which a walkway and telescoping jib crane are extended into the chamber. Targets or test antennas are mounted on a foam column or low-RCS pylon. The dual parabolic cylinder reflector system produces a plane wave that is used to illuminate the target.

The larger of the two ranges, Chamber 2, has a similar arrangement but a much larger (12 x 12 x 24 feet) quiet zone.

The facility continues to serve Raytheon and their customers as a world-class antenna and RCS test and measurement complex. Chamber 1 is certified as compliant with ANSI-Z-540/ISO-25 standards and is part of the National RCS Measurement Facility Standards Program.

Click here to visit the Raytheon Antenna Test Facility (ATF) website.

Diagrams of Chamber 1 (left) and Chamber 2 (right).