LOW COST MULTI-SPECTRAL SUB-SONIC RADOME

Low cost methods and materials will be evaluated for the design and manufacture a 2 to 18 GHz radome which will provide sub-sonic environmental protection for a 4-arm spiral antenna and which will also be optically transparent. Canididate materials will include but not be limited to the following matterials: borosilicate glasses, polycarbonates and amorphous fluoropolymers. Radome wall designs will include single layer constructions, A-sandwich constructions and other configurations. Extensive computer codes will be used to evaluate the performance of the designs . Limited testing will be performed on unknown properties of materials or material combinations which are developed during Phase I. Up to three approaches will be selected for further development based on performance, manufacturability, and cost .