DIRECTIVE RADIATING EXPENDABLE JAMMER

THIS PROPOSAL DESCRIBES AN EFFORT TO DESIGN AN EXPENDABLE JAMMER WHICH CAN DIRECT ITS ENERGY IN A DIRECTION WHICH HAS EITHER BEEN PRE-PROGRAMMED INTO IT OR HAS BEEN COMMANDED OVER SOME FORM OF CONTROL LINK. USING CHEAP, SIMPLE, NON-MECHANICAL DIRECTION FINDING SENSORS, IT IS POSSIBLE FOR THE JAMMER TO RAPIDLY DETERMINE THE ORIENTATION OF ITS ANTENNA ARRAY RELATIVE TO THE COMMAND DIRECTION OF RADIATION. THE MAJOR TECHNICAL CHALLENGE IN THIS PROGRAM IS TO IDENTIFY AN ANTENNA CONFIGURATION WHICH IS PHYSICALLY SMALL AND ALSO MEETS THE SEVERE CONSTRAINTS WHICH ARE NECESSARILY PART OF AN EXPENDABLE DESIGN. THE IDEAL ANTENNA ARRAY WOULD BE SMALL, OPERATE OVER A WIDE FREQUENCY BANDWIDTH, HAVE A DIRECTIVE RADIATION PATTERN AND THE BEAM WOULD BE STEERABLE OVER 360 DEGREES IN AZIMUTH. REALISTICALLY, AN ANTENNA ARRAY FOR THIS APPLICATION WOULD CONSIST OF A SET OF VERTICAL MONOPOLES OR DIPOLES, INCLUDING AN IMPEDANCE MATCHING NETWORK, APPROPROATELY PHASED TO FORM A CARDIOID OR SLIGHTLY DIRECTIONAL RADIATION PATTERN. THE NUMBER OF ELEMENTS IN THE ARRAY MUST BE KEPT TO A MINIMUM BECAUSE OF PROBABLE SIZE RESTRICTIONS. TYPICALLY, A FOUR ELEMENT ARRAY ARRANGED IN A SQUARE WOULD BE USED ALTHOUGH A THREE ELEMENT ARRAY ARRANGED IN AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE IS A POSSIBLE ALTERNATIVE. ??????????