Enabling technologies for future structurally integrated conformal apertures

The role of antennas as the "eyes and ears" of the sensor suite continues to make radio frequency (RF) aperture technology vital to the Air Force missions. Airborne apertures of the future must be low cost, wide band and potentially multi-function in nature to earn their way onto platforms where space is at a premium. To achieve these requirements, radically new approaches to aperture technology need to be cultivated. This paper explores the challenges and potential approaches to affordable conformal antenna technology.