Navy advances in NEC applications

Modern combat ships are critically dependent on electromagnetic (EM) systems. It is particularly important to employ the "very best" available means for estimating the performance potential of candidate antenna arrangements on proposed topside configurations, prior to design freeze of the basic superstructure. These concerns are equally important during the planning of alterations to existing ships. Given this design environment, it follows naturally that the available antenna performance prediction methodologies need to be constantly reviewed. In the late 1970s, the Model Range of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego started what was to become a long term advancement of the use of numerical techniques, initially using what was to become the Numerical Electromagnetics Code-method of moments (NEC-MoM). NEC-MoM has been valuable to the topside antenna system integration responsibilities of the Model Range. Several advances were made to the NEC-MoM modeling process to enhance the applicability of the NEC-MoM to Navy applications.