Increasing Phased Arrays Resilience via Photonic Sensor Network Feedback

Photonic sensor networks are exploited to increase resilience of large phased arrays for radar and space applications. The network is embedded in the phased array front end to continuously enable easy and real-time control of the system components. The photonic sensors are able to measure amplitude and phase of the actual electromagnetic field distribution on the array aperture. The photonic network provides an estimation of failure/calibration errors and allows the minimization of the mismatch between the actual pattern and the reference one. The feedback system dynamically acts on the weights of the beamforming network (BFN), thanks to accurate and effective synthesis methods. Preliminary results concerning the overall system design, the possibility to integrate the photonic sensor inside the active radiating elements, and the capability to accurately correct undesired failure are reported.