REDUCED APERTURE MICROSTRIP ANTENNAS FOR AIRBORNE VEHICLES

Abstract

The available space for the mounting of antennas on missiles and airborne targets is very limited. The vehicle integrator is constantly striving for smaller antenna apertures while requiring increased performance. Microstrip antennas with moderate dielectric loading have been successfully utilized in the past to meet these requirements. With the advent of high dielectric substrate materials, the designer now has the option of further reducing the size of the antenna while preserving the most desirable performance attributes. An example of the size reduction achievable with the new substrate materials is presented along with performance characteristics.