SHIPBOARD LOW OBSERVABLE ANTENNA CONCEPTS - MULTIPLE APERATURE PANEL (MAP) - MULTIPLE FUNCTION ANTENNA (MFA)

Two new concepts for low radar cross section (RCS) shipboard-mounted a ntenna systems are presented in this paper. The first concept for inte gration of low (RCS) antenna apertures into Low Observable (LO) ship s uper structures has been developed and evaluated in laboratory experim ents. The concept consists of using conformal antenna apertures that h ave low monostatic radar returns and placing them into a sloped deckho use or mast structure. Critical to the concept is the ability to place multiple apertures close to one another in a small space. A Multiple Aperture Panel (MAP) concept containing antennas for Identification Fr iend or Foe (IFF), UHF Line of Sight, LAMPS data link, and Navigation Radar functions was developed. Detailed designs for the IFF and UHF an tennas were completed and 1/2 scale versions of these antennas were bu ilt and tested, Measurements on the 1/2 scale antennas have demonstrat ed that the proposed antennas will perform well as transmitters/receiv ers and provide significantly reduced RCS. Conceptual designs and perf ormance estimates for retrofit of the low RCS IFF antenna on a modem c ombatant and integration of the IFF antenna into a composite deckhouse structure have been completed. An alternate low RCS UHF antenna for t he MAP concept, using a horizontally mounted annular slot aperture was designed, built and tested, The second low RCS antenna system concept is for a compact, self-contained, low RCS antenna suite containing ra dar, GPS, IFF, UHF communication, and UHF SATCOM antennas has been dev eloped, built, and demonstrated in full scale tests.