A Rigorous Forest Scattering Model Val- Idation through Comparison with Indoor Bistatic Scattering Measurements

In this paper, we present numerical simulations and indoor bistatic scattering measurements on scaled targets. The targets are vertical and/or tilted dielectric parallelepipeds representing the main forest elements (tree-trunks and primary branches) at VHF and lowUHF frequencies. They are placed above an aluminum circular plate to simulate a flat ground. The measurements have been conducted in the anechoic chamber of the “Centre Commun de Ressources Microondes” (CCRM) in Marseille, France. A 3D forest scattering model using a Method of Moments (MoM) is deployed to simulate the electric fields scattered by these targets. Two radar geometric, azimuthal and zenithal, bistatic configurations with special attention to the specular direction have been considered. Simulation results and experimental data are confronted for both V V and HH-polarizations in order to evaluate the accuracy of our model. We have obtained a very good agreement between theoretical and experimental scattered fields for both the magnitude and phase.