ABSTRACTThe radar cross section (RCS) of passive calibration targets is relatively low, which leads to a commensurate increase in the uncertainty of the radar's calibration. To address this deficiency, an active radar calibration (ARC) target was developed, which was mounted on a small remote controlled tri‐copter and used for radar calibration. Results are presented for this relatively small, light weight and cost effective airborne ARC, which is suitable for the calibration of a ground to air RCS measurement system. The static RCS characteristics of the airborne ARC target were measured in a compact range and compared to outdoor measurements with the ARC target mounted on the tri‐copter. The airborne capability of the calibration target was used to reduce the effects of multi‐path and clutter. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 58:1041–1044, 2016