Ultra-Light Interlaced Active Electronically Steerable Antennas (ULI-AESA)

Toyon Research Corporation proposes to develop a very lightweight, power-efficient Ku-band AESA antenna to meet the needs of small UAVs performing ISR missions over the battlefield. The antenna utilizes a space-feed to minimize antenna mass as has been proven on previous space-radar programs. The AESA electronics also utilize state-of-the-art MMICs that have been optimized for power-efficient operation. Nestled within the Ku-band antenna structure is a SIGINT/COMINT interferometer array covering most of the commercial communications bands. A series of low-frequency adjunct antennas that can be easily integrated into the UAV wings and control surfaces is also provided, allowing small swarms of similarly equipped UAVs to cooperatively geolocate tactical military radios, walkie-talkies, etc. The Ku-band arrays can then be used to image the suspected target area or to track moving emitters. The Ku-band array can also be used to communicate target data via satellite link, for maximum multi-functionality. A clever low-power digital receiver design based on COTs components is integrated into this antenna system providing scalability to various classes of UAVs.