A technique for low transmit sidelobes in active phases arrays

A technique for obtaining low transmit sidelobes for active phased arrays that use solid-state transmit/receive modules for amplitude and phase control at each radiating element is described. The low sidelobes are obtained by a combination of limited control of module output power and statistical thinning. The advantage of the technique is that the sidelobes are controlled electronically on a digital basis and the array employs identical T/R (transmit/receive) modules, eliminating the need for different voltage levels or modules with different output power levels. This technique further allows the array to provide low or uniform sidelobes depending on the need.<>