High-Speed Weapon Radomes

As more and more advanced hypersonic weapons are developed, vehicle temperatures are expected to near 1250°K (977°C); as flight times increase, these temperatures are expected to saturate the entire vehicle. Typically, forward-looking RF and IR sensors are collocated in the same protective radome, which degrades the performance of both systems. FIRST RF proposes a significantly different approach to the challenge of High-Speed Weapon Radomes by relocating the antenna sensors to alternate regions of the weapon. FIRST RF has developed a revolutionary new conformal, high temperature, forward-looking, high gain antenna, suitable for seeker applications in the hypersonic environment. The solution makes use of unique, end-fire antennas that are constructed from conformal, high-temperature dielectric materials. The proposed work is in support further development and validation of the FIRST RF developed high-temperature conformal antenna technology. Apertures will be subjected to representative environments and their performance evaluated. Additional development for current and upcoming platforms will also be explored. Finally, FIRST RF will investigate the development of an RF front-end for use with its conformal antenna technology.