Low-profile Ku-band array antenna for broadband mobile satellite communications

This paper presents the design of a planar array antenna for Ku-band mobile satellite communications systems. The antenna is low-profile and is designed for integration in small aircrafts and ground vehicles. The antenna allows simultaneous transmit and receive operations taking advantage of the complete available aperture surface for both transmit and receive functions. The beam steering is electronic for the elevation and polarisation angles and mechanical for the azimuth scan. The paper presents the main characteristics of the antenna architecture and the design of the radiating aperture with emphasis on isolation between transmit and receive channels. A first sub-array module of the antenna has been realized and measured. The results of network parameters and radiation patterns are presented.