Elliptical inflatable radar reflector

Improved radar reflector apparatus comprising a collapsible and inflatable radar wave permeable envelope which when inflated assumes the shape of an ellipsoid surrounding a radar reflective array having a number of radar wave reflectors which when said envelope is inflated are arranged to form a plurality of corner reflectors, said reflectors being of a flexible material so as to allow collapsing of said reflector array upon collapse of said envelope, and suspension means supporting each of said reflectors within said envelope independently of each other of said reflectors so that upon inflation of said envelope each of said reflectors floats on said suspension means to seek out optimum planar disposition to form planes substantially independent of and mutually orthogonal to planes formed by other of said reflectors, the edges of each of said reflectors being provided with a longitudinal seam, said reflector array being suspended within said envelope by string means passing from the inner surface of said envelope through the seams of some of said reflectors to a center location of the apparatus and back through other of the seams of said reflectors to said inner surface of said envelope wherein the seams of said reflectors where the seams are suspended parallel to one another are provided with notch means in said seams, ring means being disposed at said notch means so that the strings from each of said parallel seams may pass out of the notch means of said seam through said ring means and back into the seam wherein all of the strings traversing the parallel seams may pass through the same ring means and be drawn together at each said ring means.