Multifunctional Phased Array Antennas - Yearly Report 2013

Authors:

  • Andreas Gustafsson
  • Anders Nelander
  • Svante Björklund
  • Patrick Andersson
  • Robert Malmqvist
  • Anna Pohl
  • Lars Pettersson
  • Per-Olov Frölind

Publish date: 2013-12-31

Report number: FOI-R--3754--SE

Pages: 36

Written in: Swedish

Keywords:

  • multifunction
  • phased arrays
  • 3D-SAR
  • sparse
  • signal processing
  • textile
  • antennas
  • AESA
  • PESA
  • UAV
  • GaN
  • space
  • urban environments
  • radar
  • sensors

Abstract

The Project Multifunctional Phased Array Antennas, MUGA, studies the area of multifunctional phased array antennas from several different approaches and system levels. During 2013 the project has covered the international progress in the area of multifunctional phased array systems [1] and identified several systems. For example, the American MPAR concept (Multifunctional Phased Array Radar) for aircraft and weather surveillance, the multifunctional naval system IM400 (Integrated Mast) in the Netherlands with E/O and radar sensors at several frequency bands as well as phased array based SAR satellite systems. The study also included the area of sensor management where we see an increased understanding of the problem and a better ability to handle complex systems. Further on, a measurement setup for 3D-SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) has earlier been developed. The system has now been upgraded with a sparse phased array series fed patch antenna array and measurements outdoors have been performed. Results of a scene with a car and corner reflectors have verified the fine resolution of close to 15 cm at 30 m distance in the array dimension (~0.6 degrees), which indicates the system to be useful in realistic scenarios. The benefits by using the 3D-SAR concept is that it reduces the shadowing effects behind for example high buildings and thus an improvement of the capability of intelligence gathering in urban environments is expected compared to the commonly used radar technologies of today [2]. In the antenna area an experimental textile integrated antenna for soldiers has also been designed, manufactured, measured and tested. In the area of signal processing we have tested a multifunction system simulator by simulations of realistic scenarios. We have also studied improved detection capability methods for moving targets as well as observable targets. Space-borne applications for phased arrays have also been studied. Multifunctional phased arrays are expected to meet the demand for antennas with reconfigurable swathwidth, center frequency and wide bandwidths. Gallium nitride (GaN) and its role in power generation in amplifiers has attracted an increased attention, not the least for defence and space applications and during 2013 we have done a short survey of the state-of-the-art of GaN. We also see fruitful synergy effects by the co-financed projects NANOTEC and AIRBEAM (EC-FP7) as well as HumanFinder (Eurostars by VINNOVA).