SBIR Awards and Abstract Summaries

NAVY 10-104 Awarded: 8/31/2010

Title: Co-Site Interference Mitigation in Phased Arrays

Abstract: The number of antennas on military vehicles has been steadily increasing as enhanced communications continue to provide our warfighters a significant battlefield advantage. The limited space on the submarine sail requires the co-location of phased array apertures in a single antenna housing structure to provide capabilities in the desired frequencies of interest. The close proximity of the transmit and receive arrays has created a formidable cosite challenge. FIRST RF solves this problem with several approaches that involve simple electromagnetic techniques as well as aperture techniques. For example, an affordable radome appliqué is proposed to solve the cosite interference problem. This solution does not require changes to the array elements or support electronics. This panel integrates with the existing antenna housing structure and minimizes side lobes and energy directed from the transmit array toward the receive array. Minimization of this coupled energy enables the receive array to perform in the presence of an operating transmit array. FIRST RF has relevant cosite mitigation experience that will be leveraged to achieve an optimal solution. Through the Phase I program, FIRST RF will prove the viability of this technology to successfully provide a phased array cosite solution.