RCS Characteristics Analysis of Trihedral Corner Reflector for Bistatic SAR Tandem Mode Radiometric Calibration

Trihedral corner reflector (TCR) is widely used as calibration object in monostatic Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) calibration, and the studies on monostatic radar cross section (RCS) characteristics of TCR has been quite mature. But for bistatic radar system the calibration problem is significantly more complex due to the lack of suitable calibration targets. It is still questionable whether the TCR can be used at a calibration target in biatatic calibration. Therefore, the analysis and design of TCR for bistatic calibration is required. In this paper, we analyze the bistatic backscattering pattern of the trihedral corner reflector in bistatic SAR tandem mode (fixed bistatic angle) and conclude that TCR can be used as a calibration target under certain conditions. Factors which impact the calibration accuracy during machining and deployment are also discussed quantitatively with simulations.