Comparisons of experimental topside electron concentration profiles with IRI and NeQuick models

A critical part of the vertical ionospheric electron concentration profile is the region above its maximum (topside ionosphere) and many attempts have been made to model this region because of the limited experimental data available. Recently, many topside electron concentration profiles obtained with the Intercosmos-19 satellite became accessible through the Internet. The period analyzed corresponds to March 1979 - December 1980, a time interval of high solar activity. The present work describes the comparison of these profiles with the IRI and NeQuick model profiles obtained by driving the models with the values of the maximum electron concentration and its height given by the satellite.