Advanced Antenna Pattern Prediction Software

Accurate numerical predictions of performance of antennas on aircraft are important in many problems of avionics design and integration. In particular, such predictions are needed for determination of optimal placement of antenna on an aircraft in order to achieve required coverage. The focus of this project is an investigation and development of high-frequency computational methods and codes for accurate and efficient prediction of patterns of antennas located on an aircraft embedded in a layer of dielectric/magnetic material. In order to attain the required high accuracy, the developed methods and codes will perform the necessary analyses on computational aircraft models fully and accurately representing the actual aircraft geometry and surface materials. Developed earlier by the proposing team methods for calculating field contributions due to creeping-rays and diffraction effects of aircraft wings, stabilizers, and other external features of PEC aircraft with geometry of general shape will be further developed and supplemented to account for the presence of a layer of dielectric/magnetic material. Prototype computer implementations will be built and tested.