Description
(*) On Delegation Request (formerly called Priority 2)
Objective: The objective of the activity is to design, develop and test a lightweight and compact conformal antenna front-end.
Targeted Improvements: Size and volume reduction by 20% in comparison to today's state of the art. Reduced parts count by 30% and ohmic loss reduction by 20%.
Description: For small airborne platforms like UnmannedAerial Vehicles (UAV) the installation and integration of (array) antenna systems can be an expensive task when it requires adaptation of planar antenna panels onto curved geometries (wing or fuselage). Utilising the real estate provided by the aircraft frame willenable a more efficient adaptation of the antennas to the aircraft and will also have the advantage of not influencing the aerodynamics of the aircraft. Moreover, also for maritime applications conformal antennas are often of interest. Existing printed circuit board technologies are normally not suited for building conformal printed (array) antennas, especially on double-curved surfaces, therefore other manufacturing technologies need to be investigated to solve this problem. Other issues that need to be tackled are the mass and the size of the antenna. For instance, to increase the application range of unmanned UAVs it would be very beneficial to lower the mass/power and size of the antenna. This requires that the antenna front-end losses are reduced using novel manufacturing technologies that can provide low mass and cost effective (array) antennas. The activity will design, develop and test a lightweight and compact conformal antenna front-end. To achieve this goal, a possible approach is to explore the use of selective surface metallisation techniques that allow tight integration of the conformal antenna with the RF receive and transmit circuits in order to achievea simpler (less parts) lower loss RF front-end. Both UAVs or maritime platforms can serve as a test case for closely integrating the (array) antenna into the existing structure. The outcome of the activity shall therefore be an antenna prototype that is fully tested, both in transmit and receive mode, when installed onto the chosen platform or onto a representative part of the structure.
(*) Delegation Request (formerly called Priority 2) activities will only be initiated on the explicit request of at least one National Delegation.
Procurement Policy: C(2) = A relevant participation (in terms of quality and quantity) of non-primes (incl. SMEs) is required. For additional information please go to EMITS news "Industrial Policy measures for non-primes, SMEs and RD entitiesin ESA programmes".