Wideband Adaptive Printed Antenna with Minimal Pattern Undulation for UAS Communications

In this Phase I effort Pharad will investigate a new antenna structure that can be stealthily integrated or mounted on the surface of an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) platform and is capable of operating efficiently over a wide band of frequencies; from L-band to Ku-band (1 – 18 GHz). Importantly, the new printed antenna will have minimal radiation pattern variation or gain undulation across this entire frequency band. The antenna will combine several new antenna and material engineering concepts with adaptive RF engineering techniques to enable good Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR) and minimal pattern undulation over multiple octaves of bandwidth. The resulting antenna structure will be conformal in nature and be able to easily integrated or mounted on the surface of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. In Phase I we will use rigorous full-wave electromagnetic simulation tools to accurately model the VSWR and radiation performance of our new adaptive antenna. In this part of the project we will also fabricate several proof of concept prototypes of the radiator and test the VSWR and radiation performance of these prototype radiators in our antenna test and measurement facilities.