Title :
Joint STARS phased array radar antenna
Author :
Shnitkin, Harold
Author_Institution :
Westinghouse Norden Syst. Inc., Norwalk, CT, USA
Abstract :
The Joint STARS phased array radar system is capable of performing long range airborne surveillance and was used during the Persian Gulf war on two E8-A aircraft to fly many around-the-clock missions to monitor the Kuwait and Iraq battlefield from a safe distance behind the front lines. This paper is a follow-on to previous publications on the subject of the Joint STARS antenna and deals mainly with mission performance and technical aspects not previously covered. Radar data of troop movements and armament installations are presented, a brief review of the antenna design is given, followed by technical discussions concerning the three-port interferometry, gain and sidelobe design approach, cost control, range test implementation and future improvements.<>
Keywords :
aircraft instrumentation; antenna phased arrays; antenna testing; electronic equipment testing; military systems; radar antennas; radiowave interferometry; E8-A aircraft; Joint STARS phased array radar; Persian Gulf; Taylor illumination; antenna design; antenna test; armament installations; cost control; gain; gain management; long range airborne surveillance; mission performance; mutual coupling impedance; range test implementation; sidelobe design; sidelobe management; three-port interferometry; troop movements; Airborne radar; Aircraft; Antenna arrays; Costs; Interferometry; Monitoring; Phased arrays; Radar antennas; Surveillance; Testing;
Journal_Title :
Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine, IEEE
