Antenna-RCS Measurement Facility

General Dynamics C4 Systems

 
Antenna/RCS compact range designed by The Howland Company for Motorola Government Electronics Division; General Dynamics acquired Motorola GED in 2001.
Photo courtesy Motorola GED.
  The Howland Company designed an antenna and RCS measurement facility for Motorola's Government Electronics Division in Scottsdale, Arizona. General Dynamics C4 Systems now operates the facility. The facility includes two compact ranges: one has a 4 ft x 6 ft (1.2m x 1.8m) elliptical quiet zone in a 20 ft x 16 ft x 41 ft (6m x 4.9m x 12.5m) anechoic chamber, and the second has a 6 ft x 8 ft (1.8m x 2.4m) elliptical quiet zone in a 26 ft x 26 ft x 52 ft (8m x 8m x 15.8m) anechoic chamber. The compact ranges use a side-fed, dual reflector layout, and achieve background levels of -80 dBsm without subtraction. The ranges and their fully automated instrumentation systems support high range resolution and focused ISAR imaging from 2 GHz to 100 GHz. Our design features a low-cost architecturally-integrated RF shield for each chamber and control room, as well as special target handling and access systems to maximize test time efficiency.  
     
The facility during its construction, showing the 26 x 26 x 52 foot chamber's architecturally integrated RF shielding. A recent aerial view of the facility--the tents and vehicles are a Tactical Operations Center demonstrator; the TOC is one of General Dynamics C4 Systems' principle products.
Microsoft Visual Earth .
  The facility during construction (left), showing the architecturally integrated shielding for the
large compact range inside the framing of the host building, and as it looks today (right).