Disclosed are embodiments of exterior aircraft assemblies integrating compatible elements. In one example, an integrated aircraft assembly includes an aerodynamic housing attachable to an aircraft, an antenna system including at least one antenna element housed within the aerodynamic housing, and a lighting system including at least one light fixture housed within the aerodynamic housing. The at least one antenna element and the at least one light fixture may be co-located within then housing or mounted separately on the housing.

A mechanically steered, horizontally polarized, directional antennae for aerial vehicles, such as UAVs. The antenna system can include a planar substrate with a horizontally polarized antenna embedded therein. A rotation member, on one end, can be attached to the planar substrate, and can extend from an external surface of the aerial vehicle. An actuator can be coupled to the rotation member to rotate the rotation member. A communication controller of the aerial vehicle can control the actuator to beam horizontally polarized radiofrequency (RF) waves to a target receiver or receive a wave front from a target transmitter.

A radar antenna suitable for a drone is provided, which is able to compensate for the agility of drone motion. The radar antenna contains a sandwich of two printed circuit boards between three conductive plates. A first printed circuit board comprises a preferably circular array of first antenna elements such as dipoles. A second printed circuit board, parallel to the first printed circuit board, comprises an array of second antenna elements. One of the array of first antenna elements and the array of second antenna elements is an array of transmission antenna elements and the other an array of reception antenna elements. The first printed circuit board is located below the second printed circuit board. Three conductive plates are used to shape the antenna patterns from the antenna elements so that the main lobes of the antenna patterns are directed obliquely downwards and the antenna patterns from the different array at least partly overlap, suppressing vertical side lobes. A first conductive plate separates the first and second printed circuit boards. A second conductive plate is located above the second printed circuit board, extending radially outward beyond the first conductive plate. A third conductive plate is located below the first printed circuit board. The first conductive plate extends radially outward beyond the third conductive plate.

The described features include a scalable waveguide architecture for a waveguide device. The waveguide device may be split into one or more waveguide blocks instead of manufacturing increasingly larger single-piece waveguide devices. Described techniques provide for a radio-frequency (RF) seal between such waveguide blocks that may facilitate greater manufacturing tolerances while maintaining an effective RF seal at the junction of the waveguide blocks. The described techniques include channels within one or more waveguide blocks opening to the dielectric gap between the waveguide blocks. The channels may, for each of multiple waveguides joined at the interface between waveguide blocks, be included in one or both waveguide blocks and may be in a single waveguide dimension relative to the multiple waveguides, or extend for more than one waveguide dimensions.

The described features include a scalable waveguide architecture for a waveguide device. The waveguide device may be split into one or more waveguide blocks instead of manufacturing increasingly larger single-piece waveguide devices. Described techniques provide for a radio-frequency (RF) seal between such waveguide blocks that may facilitate greater manufacturing tolerances while maintaining an effective RF seal at the junction of the waveguide blocks. The described techniques include channels within one or more waveguide blocks opening to the dielectric gap between the waveguide blocks. The channels may, for each of multiple waveguides joined at the interface between waveguide blocks, be included in one or both waveguide blocks and may be in a single waveguide dimension relative to the multiple waveguides, or extend for more than one waveguide dimensions.

A radome assembly of an aircraft includes a shell having an elongated shape wherein the shell defines a first opening having a diameter of a first dimension and is positioned within a first end portion of the shell. The shell defines a second opening having an elongated shape which extends along a length of the shell and has a second dimension which is greater than the first dimension. First fastener extends through the first opening and is engaged with a first surface associated with a first structural element and resists movement of the shell and the first structural element relative to one another. Second fastener extends through the second opening and is engaged with a second surface associated with the first structural element such that the shell is moveable along the length of the shell relative to the first structural element.

An antenna includes an antenna substrate comprising a first end and a second end, and an antenna element attached to the antenna substrate. The antenna element is configured to receive communication signals within a partial hemispherical-shaped signal reception region oriented about the first end of the antenna substrate. A signal gain reduction portion is at least partially located between the antenna element and the second end of the antenna substrate, and is configured to reduce signal gain in an opposite partial hemispherical-shaped region oriented about the second end of the antenna substrate.

In some embodiments, an antenna may include a plurality of reflectarray tiles and a frame including a plurality of frame elements coupled electrically and mechanically. The frame may be configured to conform to a shape of a surface. Each frame element may be configured to receive one of the plurality of reflectarray tiles. In some aspects, the plurality of reflectarray tiles may be illuminated directly or indirectly by a feed.

An AESA antenna configuration for simultaneous transmission and receiving of communication signal includes: a housing having eight sides; four transmit sides and four receive sides alternating there between and forming a 45 degree angle with their respective neighbor sides, where cross sections of the housing in a plane perpendicular to a vertical axis of the housing are tapered from a top to a bottom of the housing in the vertical direction by a cant angle.

An antenna assembly includes a circularly polarized antenna housing configured to mount to a mounting surface. The antenna assembly also includes a vertical antenna housing having a first end proximate to the circularly polarized antenna housing, as well as a distal end extending normally from the circularly polarized antenna housing.