To address the Air Forces need for improving ground station antenna efficiency, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Ground-based Instrumentation Low-profile Antenna (GILA). This proposed device is based on a new design that utilizes POC experience in developing antennas and custom materials. The innovation in electromagnetic field conditioning will enable the antenna to provide improved efficiency and wider beam width for telemetry in a small form factor. As a result, this technology offers adequate gain, large field-of-regard (FOR) tracking coverage, and wide enough beam widths to allow effective tracking and acquisition of fast moving weaponry, which directly address the Air Force requirements. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of GILA by first evaluating existing telemetry platforms, identifying concepts, and selecting candidate solutions that could be developed to improve antenna efficiency. This analysis will lead to a final demonstration of the optimal design via prototyping to prove feasibility and operational effectiveness. In Phase II, POC will refine the Phase I concept to mature the solution for telemetry applications and conduct system-level testing and evaluation of the prototype for the Air Force Research Laboratory at technology readiness level (TRL)-4/-5.
Benefits: POCs GILA will also find use in transmitters and receivers for telecommunications, sensors, and other applications requiring data transfer in different bands and limited real estate, e.g., satellite uplink and downlink antenna systems, and broadband data links for airplanes and for the radar in commercial airliners. The structure of the GILA can easily be applied to antenna transmitters on water towers, buses, trains, and vehicles, for high-bandwidth data transfer. The GILA also has applications in SATCOM on the Move (SOTM) for TV and radio transmission and reception systems.
Keywords: Antenna, Aperture efficiency, Ground station, Tailored material, Telemetry, High gain radiators
