Smart Radomes for Peer to Peer Links

Network platforms of the future will include Internet of Things (IoT), small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (sUAVs) and even small cell networks. Modern warfare will be highly reliant on these new network platforms consisting of multiple low Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C) connected devices. To satisfy the low SWaP-C, simple omnidirectional antennas would be used instead of complicated, power intensive, expensive phased arrays. Omnidirectional antennas have an antenna radiation pattern that ensures connectivity from all directions, but are susceptible to jamming and spoofing attacks, and cannot steer their antenna pattern for boosting range or controlling their RF signature. Notch is developing a smart radome technology that can give simple antenna systems phased array capabilities. Notch's smart radome will be an inexpensive, low-power, software-controllable solution to these problems and would be extremely valuable for future networks, both as part of commercial markets (IoT, sUAVs, small cells for 5G etc.) and as part of network modernization efforts for the Army.