RCS Reduction Techniques: A Comparative Review

RCS reduction has become prominent in the field of stealth technology. The primary design criterion for aircraft design is to increase survivability by decreasing detectability. The radar cross section (RCS) of a target is the equivalent area seen by radar. The RCS value indicates how easily an object will be detected by the radar. RCS has been reduced using approaches such as shaping, radar absorbent material (RAM), passive cancellation, and active cancellation. Because of the low RCS, the sidelobe level rises due to radiation from higher-order harmonics. This study describes an overview of current passive RCSR techniques for a variety of applications including frequency selective surface (FSS), electronic bandgap materials (EBG), split ring resonator (SRR), and complementary split ring resonator (CSRR). An extensive comparison chart is obtained based on antenna size, RCSR, gain, and the operating band for different types of techniques. Challenges and the scope of future research are also proposed in this review.