Reentry vehicle radar cross section signature modification

Abstract

Abstract An improvement to a reentry vehicle of the type which does not have a metallic substructure contiguous to the internal surface of the porous, dielectric heatshield thereof, whereby the radar cross section signature in the "nose-on" aspect region of the reentry vehicle can be controlled, individualized, and otherwise modified to confuse and/or to deceive the hostile tracker thereof. The improvement comprises, in essence, of a plurality of zones which are made of electrically conductive material and which are disposed on, and are fixedly positioned partially within (i.e., partially penetrate), the porous dielectric non-ablating internal surface layer of the heatshield by use of vacuum metal diffusion. The zones are spaced non-uniformly in the direction of the geometric axis of the reentry vehicle, and destroy (via scattering) uniformly occurring reflections which arise internally at the inner surface of the heatshield and which are caused by the incidence of the incoming and trapped waves at angles greater than the critial value of the material of which the inner surface is made.

Inventors

• 👤 Edward N. Skomal

Bibliographic Details