An opening completely arranged in a skin panel of a structural portion of the aircraft is formed in the outer skin of the skin panel, and for each of the skin panels with one of the openings, an associated structural element of an electronic arrangement is separately provided. The structural element is designed and detachably fastened by a frame thereof to the outer skin in the corresponding skin panel on the side of the outer skin opposite the outer surface, such that it seals the corresponding opening such that the skin panel has at least the same pressure-tightness and at least the same strength relative to tension, pressure and shear forces which act in the skin panel in the extension direction of the outer skin as the same skin panel without the corresponding opening.

An unmanned aerial vehicle includes a main body and at least two rotor units configured to propel the unmanned aerial vehicle. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes at least two antenna units configured to receive a radio signal. The antenna units are located with respect to the main body such that the antenna units are assigned to different lateral sides of the main body. Further, a direction finding system is described.

An antenna assembly has a solar layer having one or more solar cells generating solar power, an antenna layer connected to the solar layer and having electronic components utilizing the solar power generated by the solar layer, and a thermal dissipation device dissipating heat locally at the antenna assembly. A large number of antenna assemblies are connected to form an antenna array in which heat is generated locally at each antenna assembly and dissipated locally at each antenna assembly.

An antenna assembly and method of forming the same includes a dielectric support base including an antenna element layer having one or more antenna elements, and a cavity layer coupled to the dielectric support base. The cavity layer includes a main body having one or more cavities. The one or more antenna elements are disposed within the one or more cavities.

A compact shallow cavity-backed discone antenna array for conformal omnidirectional antenna applications is disclosed. The antenna array comprises a plurality of discone antennas arranged in a ring array within a circular contoured conical cavity. The cavity is covered with an electrically transparent radome. The individual discone antenna elements are fed with coaxial transmission lines. Good performance is demonstrated by simulation and by experiment in terms of reflection coefficient and omnidirectional gain radiation patterns from about 960 MHz to 1220 MHz. In one embodiment, the shallow cavity-backed discone antenna array may be used as a flush-mounted antenna that conforms to the outer mold line of an aircraft.

An antenna assembly includes a base including one or more feed transitions, a support panel separated from the base, a patch secured to the support panel, and one or more T-shaped probes that couple the feed transition(s) to the patch. The T-shaped probe(s) are separated from the patch.

Aspects of the disclosure are directed to an antenna assembly having a first conductive element having a bowtie shape, the first conductive element on a dielectric material at a first layer; a feed point within the bowtie; a second conductive element as a feed line, at a second layer, wherein the second conductive element is electrically coupled to the first conductive element at least at the feed point, independently of direct electrical contact between the first conductive element and the second conductive element; and a ground plane. In some implementations, the second conductive element has no direct electrical contact with the first conductive element, and electrical coupling of the conductive elements comprises electric fields within the dielectric. This reduces the risk of electrical performance degradation caused by mechanical damage at the feed point, such as when the antenna assembly is installed to conform to a non-planar surface.

Disclosed is a calibration device of an imaging system for a moving carrier, the imaging system including: a support panel; an antenna array comprising radiating elements positioned on the support panel; and optical sensors capable of providing images and positioned on the support panel. The calibration device includes at least one optical pattern generator, each generator being secured to the support panel.

Systems and methods for a conformal planar dipole antenna is described herein. In one example, the antenna can include a first dipole layer, a second dipole layer, a microstrip layer, and a ground plane. The first dipole layer can include a first antenna element. The second dipole layer can include a second antenna element. The microstrip layer can include a microstrip. The first antenna element, the second antenna element, and the microstrip can be electrically coupled to each other.

One embodiment is an apparatus comprising an aircraft and an aerial network communications system associated with the aircraft. The network communications system may comprise an antenna physically connected to an outside surface of the aircraft; and a transceiver electrically connected to the antenna. The aerial network communications system receives signals from and transmits signals to an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) via a communications network comprising a control station and a plurality of airborne network nodes.