Receiving dual polarized directive antenna acting in X band

Given the increasing interest in polarimetric data, many airborne polarimetric radars are now under development in Europe. These instruments are mainly devoted to the acquisition of data bases which could be used to develop algorithms based on coherent information between linear polarized signals instead of using only the power measurements. Polarimetric radars require the use of a double polarization antenna having a high polarization purity, in order to obtain a high accuracy in target polarization measurements. The purpose of the present paper is to describe the configuration and the characteristics of the dual orthogonal polarization antenna of the "RENE" polarimetric radar, developed for the CNET.<>