Low Profile, Very Wide Bandwidth Aircraft Communications Antenna

This Phase II program will continue to develop the application of our compact AMC (Artificial Magnetic Conductor) with aperiodic cells for creating very low-profile, very wideband antennas for aircraft communications. The results of our Phase I effort support compact AMC antenna designs for broadside linearly polarized coverage. By adopting circularly polarized antennas with proper aperiodic AMC cell matching, we will create antenna structures suitable for Navair’s SATCOM and other broadside-radiation applications. Furthermore, we will apply our aperiodic approach to create very low-profile, wideband linearly-polarized antennas for end-fire omni-directional coverage toward the horizon. The ultimate goal is to design and develop such an antenna to satisfy the long-standing need for low-profile broadband omnidirectional antennas for military and commercial aircraft. These designs will also endeavor occupy the smallest practical surface area at the lowest practical weight, without significantly impacting aircraft aerodynamics.