A switched-beam conformal array with a 3-D beam forming capability in C-band

International audienceA 12-element conical antenna array made of four linear subarrays regularly spaced by 90° is proposed in C-band for communication applications on high velocity flying platforms. The beam forming network is stacked below the radiating part, and allows steering the subarray beam of the conical array. The performance of the main building blocks is described in detail, both numerically and experimentally. The measured radiation characteristics of the phased array are in good agreement with the simulation results between 5 and 5.4 GHz for all configurations with beam pointing directions varying between 30° and 110° in the elevation plane. © 2017 IEEE