Military Broadband Antenna
Broadband Antenna for Military Applications
Broadband antennas are an increasingly important part of military tactical communications and information warfare. A broadband antenna is defined by its frequency range: the ratio between a broadband antenna’s maximum frequency and its minimum frequency is typically from 2:1 to < 10:1. This means that a broadband antenna can transmit or receive over a wide spectrum of narrowband frequencies of interest, such that often the entire frequency range can be covered via a single antenna.
In military applications, the use of a broadband antenna provides for the most efficient use of the available space/weight on the platform, as well as enabling simper system integration, upgrade and maintenance, and a lower visual and radar profile.
Broadband antennas can be directional, omnidirectional or arrays. Broaband antenna arrays are used for applications such as direction-finding and information warfare.
Broadband antennas can be used for military applications such as information warfare and tactical communications on numerous platforms, such as ground vehicles, man-portable/team-transportable, airborne including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), surface ships and subsurface ships. Although in the past antennas have been a limiting factor for system performance, that is no longer the case with today’s broadband antennas, which enable high-performance transmit and receive over a wide frequency range.
Broadband Antennas for Military Applications: Tactical Communications
Broadband antennas are often used for communications between military platforms. A key consideration in selecting the right military antenna for tactical communications is determining the maximum size and weight that is available on the platform. Based upon this, one can select a broadband antenna that provides the best frequency coverage for those parameters. With a well designed broadband antenna, the low end of the broadband antenna’s frequency range is determined by the antenna height. The high end of the antenna’s frequency range will then be a factor of 2-9x the low end.
There are numerous performance parameters that one should consider as well, such as the required polarization (vertical or horizontal), any minimum gain requirements, beamwidth requirements, and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) maximum levels throughout the frequency range (the frequency range of operation is typically defined by VSWR < 3).
Broadband Antennas for Military Applications: Information Warfare
Selecting the best broadband antenna for information warfare applications is based on similar parameters as with tactical communications, but additional considerations become a factor.
Information warfare is composed of signals intelligence (SIGINT, i.e. monitoring the environment for signals information and collecting the signal information), direction-finding (determining the direction that the signal of interest is coming from, an array type antenna is typically used for this) and electronic attack (jamming the adversary signal).
In the case of information warfare, it can be very beneficial to use an antenna which is also time non-dispersive (true ultrawideband) rather than just broadband. This way, the end user can cover all frequencies and all bandwidths, as well as impulse-type emerging signal threats.
Summary
In summary, the selection of the right broadband antenna for military applications, including tactical communications or information warfare, should be driven by a thorough understanding of the key mechanical and performance parameters introduced herein. Selecting the right broadband antenna can provide a substantial improvement in operational system performance.
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