Multi-Channel Wideband Antenna Array Manifolds

The FIRST RF approach to multi-channel phased array antennas proposed for this Phase I program uses an innovative application of multiplexing techniques traditionally used in communication networks in order to simultaneously perform RF analog beamforming of multiple channels on a single RF manifold. The proposed method is scalable to a large number of simultaneous channels, and is independent of both the radiating aperture and the radar waveform for modular implementation. The multiplexing network can be readily designed to integrate into FIRST RF’s low cost phased array architecture, opening avenues for rapid transition into other development programs for electronic warfare and communications applications, in addition to radar. The phase I program will demonstrate a small array with simultaneous sum and difference beams at C-band using off-the-shelf components, and define an optimal architecture that can be implemented using customized components at X-band during Phase II. The hardware demonstration during Phase I will demonstrate not only the viability of the technical approach, but also the lost-cost and manufacturable nature of the FIRST RF techniques by completing the demonstration with the limited budget and schedule constraints of a Phase I SBIR.