Cosite Interference Reduction for Electronic Attack Aircraft

Modern military aircraft carry many microwave and RF systems which must operate in close proximity to one another. Radio frequency interference (RFI) is virtually inevitable. The EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare (EW) aircraft presents a particularly severe interoperability problem because its primary mission is to jam enemy radars. Specifically, the performance of life-critical identification, friend or foe (IFF) systems is degraded by spurious signals and harmonics from on-board jamming systems. Toyon Research Corporation proposes to build on a successful phase I effort to design a shaped-pattern antenna or antennas to combat radio frequency interference to IFF, TACAN, and VHF/UHF communications systems on the EA-6B. We will use our novel anti-jam fixed reception pattern antenna (AJ-FRPA) design techniques to develop an antenna whose pattern is shaped to maximize isolation between the victim antenna and the jamming antenna.