Radio frequency revolution: Advancing digital phased arrays

摘要

Digital phased arrays (DPAs) can support multiple functions - from radar to communications - with increased accuracy and precision. While they are not a new concept, a range of military and defence organisations have made significant progress in the technology in recent years, notably in reducing DPAs' size, weight, and power (SWaP) demands.Phased arrays enable operators to steer radio waves quickly to detect platforms such as aircraft, although there are also applications in areas like acoustics. In DPAs, the formation and steering ol the beam is conducted in the digital domain, with digitisation occurring at every antenna element. I his means DPAs can deliver multiple beams at the same time at multiple frequency bands, so they can potentially conduct multiple functions simultaneously.DPAs can offer advantages over older systems, said John Knag, technology development director for BAK Systems' FAST Labs. First, the array can be reconfigured to enable multiple beams pointing in various directions. "For multifunction systems, you can imagine having one beam pointing one way scanning as a radar, one beam pointing another way that's communicating with your other systems, [and] another beam that is doing some EW [electronic warfare]," he said. "You can mix your functions on the same antenna, the same aperture."