Design and Optimization of Radar Systems to Assist Rotorcraft Piloting in Adverse Environments

Understanding the installed performance of antennas and optimizing their placement on platforms is critical to achieving the expected operational performance of the RF systems they support. Installing antennas on aircraft degrades their performance relative to freestanding conditions in terms of field-of-view, raised sidelobes, introduction of multipath delayed signals, radome-induced beam shifting, and changed"loading conditions"caused by the platform. Also, the cositing of many antennas on a single platform creates high probability of intra-system EMI and the subsequent need to maintain EMC among the simultaneously operating RF equipment. Measurements to support and verify antenna integration engineering decisions always carry the benefit of providing trusted results since real systems are being tested on a real aircraft. However, measurement alone is far from sufficient because of its important limitations, chief among which is its very high cost. The proposed effort will continue the development of Savant-Hybrid and WIPL-D PDM, culminating in a pair of upgraded tools with significantly enhanced accuracy, application scope, and speed. The new tools will allow NAVAIR to apply modeling and simulation for installed antenna performance to a wider variety of design scenarios, a larger number of configuration variants, and with fewer labor hours and increased turn-around.