In this paper, we propose a high-durability X-band patch antenna with a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feeding network that can directly connect the upper antenna and the lower transmitting receiver modules without additional cabling. To improve the durability of the antenna, both the sub miniature push-on (SMP) connector and the feed-pin are separated through the CPW layer. This separated structure can minimize the deterioration of the antenna performance when the unwanted movement of the SMP connector occurs from external shocks. To verify the design feasibility, the reflection coefficient and radiation patterns of the proposed antenna are measured in a full anechoic chamber. The reflection coefficient of the proposed antenna is −27 dB at 10 GHz, and the operating frequency bandwidth (|Γ| < −10 dB) is 4.7% (9.82~10.29 GHz) in X-band. The proposed antenna has a maximum gain of 5.7 dBi at the bore-sight direction. In addition, the durability evaluations of the proposed design according to unwanted SMP connector movements provoked by external shocks are investigated using Monte Carlo simulations. The results demonstrate that the proposed high-durability antenna design is suitable for military ship applications that involve exposure to various external shocks.

This article proposes a method for the prediction of wide range two-dimensional refractivity for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) applications, using an inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation of high-altitude radio refractivity data from multiple meteorological observatories. The radio refractivity is extracted from an atmospheric data set of twenty meteorological observatories around the Korean Peninsula along a given altitude. Then, from the sparse refractive data, the two-dimensional regional radio refractivity of the entire Korean Peninsula is derived using the IDW interpolation, in consideration of the curvature of the Earth. The refractivities of the four seasons in 2019 are derived at the locations of seven meteorological observatories within the Korean Peninsula, using the refractivity data from the other nineteen observatories. The atmospheric refractivities on 15 February 2019 are then evaluated across the entire Korean Peninsula, using the atmospheric data collected from the twenty meteorological observatories. We found that the proposed IDW interpolation has the lowest average, the lowest average root-mean-square error (RMSE) of ∇M (gradient of M), and more continuous results than other methods. To compare the resulting IDW refractivity interpolation for airborne SAR applications, all the propagation path losses across Pohang and Heuksando are obtained using the standard atmospheric condition of ∇M = 118 and the observation-based interpolated atmospheric conditions on 15 February 2019. On the terrain surface ranging from 90 km to 190 km, the average path losses in the standard and derived conditions are 179.7 dB and 182.1 dB, respectively. Finally, based on the air-to-ground scenario in the SAR application, two-dimensional illuminated field intensities on the terrain surface are illustrated.

In this paper, we propose an S/X-band shared-aperture array antenna with a mutual complementary design to improve the electromagnetic (EM) transparent characteristics. A unit-cell of the proposed antenna includes one dual-loop element for the S-band and 3×3 dual-loop elements for the X-band. To configure the shared-aperture structure in a limited space, the S-band element is stacked on top of the X-band elements. To solve the practical engineering problems of the shared-aperture antennas, novel design techniques such as using a mutual complementary structure, a coupling compensation array, an interface layer, and an antenna modularization are employed. To verify the antenna feasibility, the fabricated unit-cell extends into a 4×4 unit-cell array. The fractional bandwidth of the reflection coefficients for the proposed array are 14.7% and 15% in the S- and X-bands, respectively. In the S-band, as the steering direction of the main beam increases from 0° to 45°, the maximum gain decreases from 14.6 dBi to 11.8 dBi. In the X-band under the same conditions, the maximum gain varies from 26.6 dBi to 25.3 dBi.

This paper proposes a multi-band array antenna that shares a common aperture with heterogenous array elements. The multi-band array antenna includes one printed dipole antenna for the S-band and 3 × 3 array E-shaped patch antennas for the X-band. The current directions of the printed dipole and E-shaped antenna are orthogonal to each other, which properly diminishes the mutual coupling interference. To decrease the mutual coupling interference among the X-band components, we placed cavities using multiple vias surrounding the X-band components. To check the validity of the proposed design, the unit-cell was expanded to a 12 × 12 X-band array configuration, and then the beam steering properties were examined. The proposed antenna’s average gains are 5.2 dBi in the S-band and 5.2 dBi in the X-band. The bore-sight gain of the extended array configuration on the ship mast is 35.6 dBi. The results confirm that the proposed design is suitable for MFR applications even in a shared aperture.

This letter reports a correlation analysis of path loss considering atmospheric refractivity and precipitation in an air-to-ground radar application. For the path loss estimation, the refractivity and rainfall attenuation models are derived using actual atmospheric data. The path loss along the range and altitude is obtained using parabolic equation software tool (PETOOL). The digital terrain elevation data (DTED) of the Suwon-Osan area, the radar antenna beam pattern, and environmental models are employed in the PETOOL. Then, we expand the path loss calculation in an azimuthal scan to observe the illuminated field intensity on the ground for a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) application. The results confirm that the illuminated field intensity for SAR applications is closely related to refractivity and precipitation.

In this paper, we propose a polarization-selective electromagnetic (EM) transparent mesh-type E-shaped antenna unit-cell in a shared aperture. The proposed antenna unit-cell, which can be expanded to a larger array in a modular way, has one S-band antenna on the upper layer and nine X-band antennas on the lower layers. The simple E-shaped structure, which has a low profile with a good bandwidth, is used for the antenna elements. However, due to the limited aperture size of the stacked configuration, the lower-layer elements can be physically blocked by the upper-layer element. To reduce this blockage effect, the S-band element is rotated 90 degrees with respect to X-band elements so that the polarizations between the S- and X-band elements are perpendicular to each other. Moreover, to minimize performance degradation due to the blockage effect, a mesh structure is applied for S-band elements for EM transparent characteristics, thereby improving EM transparency from −30 dB to −1.5 dB. The extended via cavity wall is also employed outside the nine X-band elements to minimize the mutual coupling and to reduce antenna size. To confirm the effectiveness of the proposed design, the proposed antenna unit-cell is fabricated, and the radiation characteristics are measured, in a full anechoic chamber. The average bore-sight gains in the S- and X-band are 5 dBi and 4.5 dBi, respectively. The results confirm that the proposed design is suitable for shared-aperture radar applications.