UHF Conformal SATCOM Tactical Aircraft Antenna

US Naval air has need for a small, lightweight, UHF antenna which can be conformally mounted on existing, high performance tactical aircraft to allow communication with SATCOM. The proposed study will design and prototype two candidate antennas as scale models: 1) a short helix mounted in a cavity, and 2) a flat sprssial mounted over a shallow cavity. Available volume limits the bandwidth of the antenna preventing impendance matching over the entrire band. Suitable matching networks will be designed (either fixed or switched) for dual band performance using optimization routines of EEsof, analystical software. The objective is to produce a full-scale breadboard of the scale model antenna that gives the best performance with a suitable matching network. Mechancial design activitis related to the full-scale antenna will consider operating environments. The Phsase I option will verify that integrateion of the full scale antenna and matching network will produce expected pattern mearsurements. The study and option period will prepare for Phase II prototype fabrication.