Airborne ultra-low profile ultra-wideband omnidirectional antenna based on tightly coupled arrays

Against the backdrop of electromagnetic space integration,the radio system of equipment platforms,such as next-generation aircraft,must possess multifunctional integration and electromagnetic stealth performance.Meanwhile,the equipment platforms need to evolve towards flat structures.These requirements pose significant technical challenges for antenna system design.The antenna must possess ultra-wideband to facilitate multi-function integration through the use of continuous radio frequency synthetic aperture.In order to ensure good aerodynamics of the flat airborne platform,it is required to implement conformal design,while the ultra-low profile is the greatest challenge in conformal design.Against this background,this work proposes a novel airborne tightly coupled antenna with ultra-low profile,ultra-wideband,and vertical-polarized omnidirectional radiation.The antenna unit utilizes a long slot structure and implements circular conformal design,where the resistive frequency selection surface is used to expand the operating bandwidth.This antenna has a profile height of only 0.047 times the low-frequency wavelength.Simulation and measurement results show that it achieves an impedance bandwidth of nearly 12∶1 with omnidirectional beam coverage,which meets the requirements of multifunctional future airborne antennas.