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.

Disclosed is a cross loop antenna system for an aerial vehicle. In one embodiment, the cross loop antenna system includes a cross bar antenna and a ground plane. The cross bar antenna includes two thin coplanar perpendicular bars that intersect in the middle and are parallel to the ground plane. Each bar couples to the ground plane at each end, comprising an antenna loop. Thus, the cross loop antenna system comprises two intersecting single-fed loops. The antenna can operate at a wavelength that is approximately twice the length of the bars. In such an embodiment, the antenna system may be resonant. The distance between the bars and the ground plane may be relatively small, thus minimalizing the vertical profile of the antenna. The antenna may be operated as a dual-band antenna and may produce an omnidirectional radiation pattern. An aerial vehicle may include two such antennas.

Embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a shared aperture antenna for continuous transmission of signal to ground station at two different spot frequencies. The antenna provides a broad side radiation pattern for frequency range of S band and squinted radiation pattern for frequency range of Ka band. The dual band microstrip antenna is configured on a single layer substrate, having a rectangular slot at small offset from the center on low frequency radiating patch. The positioning of radiating patch and length of high impedance microstrip feed are adjusted to fit into the slot and to get desired squint at high frequency. Two separate coaxial feeds are provided to excite the antenna independently. Third feed fulfil the termination needed by travelling wave array which increases the impedance bandwidth of antenna. A radome is provided to protect the radiating element from environment.

A broadband conformal antenna (“BCA”) is disclosed. The BCA includes a narrow approximately rectangular outer conductive (“NARO”) housing, a plurality of dielectric layers within the NARO housing forming a laminated dielectric structure, and an inner conductor formed within the laminated dielectric structure. The NARO housing includes a top broad wall and the BCA further includes an antenna slot within the top broad wall. The BCA is configured to support a transverse electromagnetic signal within the NARO housing.

An antenna arrangement for an aircraft includes an antenna unit, a radome structure covering the antenna unit, and a mounting device for mounting the antenna arrangement to an outer surface of an aircraft component. The antenna unit is mounted to or integrally formed with the radome structure and the radome structure is mounted to or integrally formed with the mounting device.

Systems, devices, and methods for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle having a first GPS antenna and a second GPS antenna, where the second GPS antenna is disposed distal from the first GPS antenna; and an aerial vehicle flight controller, where the flight controller is configured to: utilize a GPS antenna signal via the GPS antenna switch from the first GPS antenna or the second GPS antenna; receive a pitch level of the aerial vehicle from the one or more aerial vehicle sensors in vertical flight or horizontal flight; determine if the received pitch level is at a set rotation from vertical or horizontal; and utilize the GPS signal not being utilized via the GPS antenna switch if the determined pitch level is at or above the set rotation.

Aspects of the disclosure provide an antenna system for a high-altitude platform (HAP). The antenna system may include a central panel including a first set of antenna elements. The antenna system may also include a plurality of auxiliary panels arranged around the central panel and at an angular offset from the central panel. Each auxiliary panel of the set of auxiliary panels may include a second plurality of antenna elements. The first plurality of antenna elements may be configured to provide network coverage within a first area having a first radius and each of the second sets of antenna elements are configured to provide network coverage within a second area beyond the first radius.

In examples, systems and methods for an antenna are described. The antenna array includes a flexible substrate and a plurality of antenna elements forming a two-dimensional array. Each antenna element includes a stripline feed located halfway through a height dimension of the flexible substrate. Each antenna element further includes a rectangular patch antenna having a first dimension equal to one-half of a wavelength at a given frequency of operation, and a second dimension equal to three-quarters of the wavelength at the given frequency of operation. Moreover, each antenna element includes a slot in the rectangular patch having a slot-length approximately equal to 0.925 of a wavelength at the given frequency of operation, where the stripline feed crosses under the rectangular patch and is orthogonal to a polarization of the slot.

In examples, systems and methods for a conformal array are described. In one example, an array is described. The array includes a plurality of antenna elements formed in a conformal array. The conformal array is arranged on a non-planar surface. Additionally, the array includes a respective feed for each of at least a subset of the antennas of the plurality of antenna elements. Each feed of the array is coupled to a respective antenna of the plurality of antennas based on a taper profile determined based on the non-planar surface. In another example, a method of determining an antenna array is disclosed. The method includes determining a planar array configuration for a plurality of antennas. The method further includes mapping the planar array configuration to a conformal surface to form a conformal array. Additionally, the method includes determining a taper profile based on the conformal array.

In one aspect, the inventive concepts disclosed herein are directed to an antenna array system employing a current sheet array (CSA) wavelength scaled aperture. The CSA wavelength scaled aperture can include a first frequency region associated with a first operating frequency band and a second frequency region associated with a second operating frequency band. The first operating frequency band can include one or more current sheet sub-arrays having a respective plurality of first unit cells scaled to support the first operating frequency band. The second operating frequency band can include one or more current sheet sub-arrays having a respective plurality of second unit cells scaled to support the second operating frequency band. The CSA wavelength scaled aperture can include one or more capacitors each of which coupled to a respective first unit cell of the first frequency region and a respective second unit cell of the second frequency region.