Antenna Designer´s Notebook-thinned arrays: some fundamental considerations

The idea of using a thinned version of an array of active elements in an early version of an X-band radar system is explored. The motivation is to hedge against the time when the T/R modules become less expensive. The idea is to design the manifold for the antenna as if all modules were present, and to load the missing ports. All radiating elements would be present and located on the ultimate regular grid but those not actively fed would be terminated in matched loads