Advanced Antenna Pattern Prediction Software

Accurate numerical predictions of antenna performance on aircraft are important in many problems of avionics design and integration. In particular, such predictions are needed to determine optimal antenna placement on aircraft in order to achieve required coverage. The focus of this project is an investigation and development of new high-frequency computational methods and codes for accurate and efficient prediction of patterns of antennas located on aircraft. In order to attain the required high accuracy, the developed methods and codes will perform the necessary analyses on computational models fully and accurately representing the actual aircraft geometry and surface materials. Developed earlier by the proposing team computational methods, algorithms and codes for calculating antenna-platform electromagnetic interactions and patterns of airborne antennas on PEC aircraft with geometry of general shape will be further expanded and enhanced to account for the presence of material coatings. The new methods and algorithms will be implemented into a system of computational codes with a user-friendly interface suitable for use by engineers.