Scalable low cost approach for future multifunction antennas

The scalable approach for multifunctional antennas has been demonstrated to give substantial benefits in terms of reduction of non recurring and recurring costs [1]. With the availability of new wideband technologies, the present trend in multifunctional systems is to enhance the system capabilities, such as extending the operating range of frequencies, use the same antenna for radar, ECM, ESM and communication functions and perform new advanced functions, such as Non Cooperative Target Recognition (NCTR). The principle of using a scalable model for many different antennas will evolve, in the near future, in the process of standardizing the basic elements (tiles) of the antenna and its design methodologies. This will lead to conceiving low cost antennas, based on general purpose tiles, to be assembled and tailored for specific use. This paper defines the basic architecture of the scalable antenna, shows the cost advantages of the scalable approach and demonstrates the practical application of the scalable architecture to typical case studies.