Variable Coverage Wide Field of View Satellite Antenna

The FIRST RF approach to the variable-coverage antenna for this Phase I program uses an offset reflector antenna and an innovative feed. At the heart of FIRST RF’s proposed approach is an entirely new – but strikingly simple – method of selectively illuminating a reflector aperture over a continuum from narrow to wide. The advantage of the proposed architecture is its simplicity, which achieves the desired Earth-coverage and narrow beam patterns with a minimum of complexity and cost. The proposed approach is a scalable design concept suitable for implementation over any band from 8 to 50 GHz. As the first part of this study, a survey will be conducted to determine the best frequency range for this application, with the objective of achieving the best antenna implementation in terms of performance, utility, and cost. The simple but elegant design can be incrementally improved to get additional capabilities such as pattern shaping or active nulling. After the best choice of operating bands is determined by evaluating predicted performance at each band, a detailed design will be produced suitable for hardware implementation in Phase II. BENEFIT: The ability to achieve variable beamwidths in an Earth-coverage GEO antenna for Airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance, that can also support narrow-beam SATCOM communications is a benefit to anti-terrorism operations and warfighter support. Variable earth coverage satellite antennas would enhance the effectiveness with which satellite communications support both beyond line of sight (BLOS) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) AISR and Communications on the Move (COTM) missions. The proposed FIRST RF approach is simple and low-risk, and can be incrementally upgraded ot include pattern synthesis and anti-jam protection.