A 20-GHz active receive phased array antenna for Navy surface ship satellite communications applications

Many current shipboard antennas, particularly those required for satellite coverage, are highly directional and require precise steering with heavy, expensive pedestals. The negative result is that they are expensive, add weight aloft compromising ship stability and add large radar reflecting surfaces that can dominate the radar cross section of the ship. The scope of this research effort was to design, fabricate and test a 255-element proof-of-concept active receive phased array antenna to demonstrate the practicality and performance of a two-dimensional electronically scanned phased array antenna for surface ship applications. In this paper we have described the successful development of an innovative and high performance active receive phased array antenna for use with satellite communications systems on the next generation of Navy surface ships. Development is now underway for delivery of a full-scale (4096 element, G/T=10.6 dB/K) antenna, based upon the described technology, in mid 2000.