Low cost planar lens ESA

Rapid beam switching will advance missile seeker capability including forward looking guidance-integrated fusing, and tracking in shorter range. However, the conventional AESA approach is not affordable at the present time. To meet RES needs, we developed a low cost 1D lens ESA with the DARPA FAME contract. The lens ESA is a stack of parallel conducting plates filled with ferroelectric material. We studied the applicability of this technology to a tactical missile seeker. We found that an X-band lens ESA built with current materials can accomplish most mission profiles for tactical missiles, especially for semi-active seekers. The architecture and design of the current lens ESA are presented. The construction including RF feed, impedance matching, prevention of high voltage breakdown, element characterization, and static ESA demonstration are discussed.