A Design of Bandwidth-Enhanced Conformal Antenna for Aircraft Applications

This paper explains the novel conformal antenna design that achieves better Bandwidth (0.53 GHz) and Gain (9 dB) with slim and flexible substrate suitable for aircraft fuselage mounting. The achieved Bandwidth of 10.2% around the operating frequency of 5.2 GHz helps in improving the cross-range resolution of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). The obtained gain increases the cross-range coverage and reduces the aerodynamic drag. The parametric study of the structure is presented along with the explanation to provide the physical insight of each parameter with the help of transmission line model and surface current analysis. Already available prominent design techniques, to improve the bandwidth, are also discussed along with its limitations to use it in aircraft applications. The RT Duroid 5880 is selected for its low loss, high gain and conformability nature.