Ballistic Radomes for Communications Antennas; Conference paper

摘要

The Army Digitized Force requires a robust communications infrastructure for its superior IT/C4ISR (Information Technologies / Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance). It will lose its cohesion and combat effectiveness with the loss of communications connectivity. Ballistic radomes protecting communications antennas will increase the survivability, and maintain the lethality of combat platforms. Legacy antennas on combat platforms are vulnerable to small arms fires and munitions fragments. Antennas on platform with active threat protection system have the added threat from the munitions fragments generated by the system that can shoot down and pre-detonate incoming warheads. Current radomes do not protect the antenna from these threats, as they are usually thinwalled composite structures to minimize RF transmission loss. In this effort, a combined ballistic and electromagnetic design and testing methodology has been formulated to develop radomes capable of providing ballistic protection to the antenna system with low RF loss. Technologies developed are applicable to frequencies from 225 MHz up to 45.5 GHz, with specific receive and transmit bands, for dish, phased array and other types of low profile antenna systems. Results to date have demonstrated the potential for efficient radome designs (less than 1 dB transmission loss), while meeting ballistic requirements using multi-layer thick-section sandwich constructions. Non-traditional radome materials (ballistic fibers with thermoplastic matrices) are evaluated; where as thick radomes with traditional materials (Quartz/Cyanate Ester) would be cost prohibitive.