JOINT ARMY-NAVY AIRCRAFT INSTRUMENTATION RESEARCH (JANAIR) ROTOR BLADE RADAR ANTENNA REPORT PHASE 1

Abstract

A research program to investigate the feasibility of using the main rotor blade of a helicopter as a radar antenna was conducted. Special blade sections were built and tested to study various design ideas. Digital computer studies of slotted arrays were programmed on an IBM 7070 computer at Bell. Both a 43-inch section and a 173-inch section of UH-1B rotor blade were built with a slotted array placed near the trailing edge. These blade antennas were statically tested. Radiation pattern measurements were made of beamwidths, sidelobe levels, and front-to-back ratios. The problem of transmitting energy to a spinning rotor blade was examined and preliminary sketches of the hub layout were made. A 0.28 degree beamwidth was obtained at the Rayleigh Range for the 173-inch blade with the antenna focused at infinity. Sidelobe levels and front- to-back ratio were 20 db. 054200

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 13, 1964
Accession Number
AD0428242

Entities

People

  • David W. Young
  • Leonard R. Lindenmeyer

Organizations

  • Bell Flight

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Antennas
  • Aircrafts
  • Antenna Configurations
  • Antenna Radiation Patterns
  • Antennas
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Digital Computers
  • Frequency Bands
  • Helicopters
  • Measurement
  • Military Research
  • Radar
  • Radar Antennas
  • Radiation
  • Radiation Patterns
  • Trailing Edges

Fields of Study

  • Engineering
  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerodynamics/Aeronautics.
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Phased Array Antenna Design.