Detection Capability of the X-47B UAV Aircraft Based on Static RCS Prediction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55972/spectrum.v26i1.423Keywords:
UAV, RCS, Radar DetectionAbstract
The doctrinal pillar "Combat Survival" is gaining increasing notoriety in the military environment. Recent conflicts, such as the Ukrainian War, as well as the clash between Azerbaijan and Armenia, indicate the increasing use of loitering munitions and UAVs (\textit{Unmanned Aerial Vehicles}) as aerial attack platforms, reducing human contact on the front lines. This work performs the radar prediction of the X-47B UAV using electromagnetic simulations based on its static RCS (\textit{Radar Cross Section}) in the VHF, L, S, C, and X frequency bands. A hypothetical radar evaluates the greatest detection ranges among the aforementioned bands. The results demonstrate that the VHF band obtained the greatest detection range, with a gain of 272.2$\%$ about the L band. Thus, the RCS analysis of an aerial platform with a delta-shaped flying wing geometry, such as the X-47B UAV, without electromagnetic absorbing materials, does not present stealth characteristics in the analyzed electromagnetic spectrum bands.
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