TENDENCIES IN DEVELOPMENT OF ANTENNA ARRAYS

Slavko Pokorni

Apstrakt
Phased antenna arrays are used more and more and not in radar systems only. They provide diversity needed to raise performance of radar systems beyond clasical antennas in the past. Today’s modern phased arrays incorporate active components for high average transmission power, superior low noise performance, and independent element level phase and amplitude control. They can operate over narrow-band and octave-bandwiths, exhibit polarisation diversity, and produce single and multiple beams. Multi-function phased arrays can perform radar, communication, and electronic warfare operations simultaneously. With the development of digital beamforming techniques, phased array technology will enable a significant leap for functionality of future radars. Classification of array antennas, definitions of basic terms, technical and operational characteristics, are given in this paper as well as their advantages and disadvantages and possibilities and problems of applications, basicall for phased antenna arrays and active antenna arrays, particularly with digital beamforming techniques.
 

Key words: antenna, antenna array, phased antenna array, antenna characteristics.