Radar cross-section

Summary

The radar cross-section of a target measures how strongly it scatters an incident radar wave toward a receiver. It is an area: the area of an ideal isotropic scatterer that would send back the same power density at the receiver. It depends on the target's shape and material, the frequency, the polarization and the directions of incidence and observation. It enters the radar equation and is the quantity that stealth design tries to reduce. See the definition.