Evolutionary Trends in Transmit/Receive Module for Active Phased Array Radars

Worldwide, defense technologies are rapidly evolving and are currently aiming at integrating diverse functionalities like radar, electronic warfare, communications, on a singular miniaturised platform. Hence, it cannot be denied that the advancements in modern active phased array radar technologies assume a critical role towards the achievement of this goal. A typical active phased array radar comprises of an active antenna array unit (AAAU) consisting of a large number of radiating elements, transmit/receive (T/R) modules with other associated RF and digital circuitry and power electronics. This paper presents mainly the developments in transmit/receive (T/R) module technology, which assimilates various stages of the technological evolution - past. current and futuristic. It discusses how these technologies contribute towards the improvement of efficiency, miniaturisation and reliability without compromising its performance parameters.