NCAR HIAPER Cloud Radar Design and Development

Most airborne radars such as NASA CRS, Wyoming Cloud radar, Canadian Convair-580 cloud radar, UMass/JPL ACR, and UMass CMR ARM UAV have limited scanning capability and are typically used to measure cloud and precipitation between -10 to -30 dBZ at a 10 km range. The NCAR HIAPER cloud radar (HCR) is designed for nadir-to-zenith scanning (quasi RHI) and time series data collection of polarimetric measurements. HCR is a millimeter-wave, pod-mounted radar system which will be deployed on the NSF/NCAR G-V aircraft, formerly known as HIAPER. The ground-based, proof-of-concept configuration of HCR was completed in 2010. In summer 2011, the HCR will transition into its pod based configuration. This paper will discuss the development, design, and sensing capability of the HIAPER cloud radar.