The results of a theory‐experiment comparison of the absolute electromagnetic wave backscatter from a neutral gas dominated turbulent argon arc plasma jet are reported. The study is carried out at 16 GHz, for various aspect angles and covers a range of rms electron density fluctuations extending beyond critical. The backscatter power is measured using a homodyne detection system. The calculation, based on the unmodified Born scattering model, consists of a volume weighting of the turbulent plasma properties,⟨&dgr;ne2andS(k), by the antenna illumination. The determination ofS(k), the three‐dimensional spectral density function, makes use of the measured space‐time correlation function and frequency spectrum of electron density fluctuations, Taylor hypothesis, and a three‐dimensional MacDonald function analysis. The Born theory is found to describe the backscatter within about 3 dB right up to critical. This result is thought to be due in part to attenuation of the coherent antenna field by large density fluctuations being roughly compensated for, both by decreasing wavenumber and by higher order multiple scattering effects.