A lightning protection system of an aircraft includes a wall defining an inner surface and an outer surface. The outer surface is configured to come into contact with a mass of air located around the aircraft. The lighting protection system also includes at least two electrically conductive lighting traps received in holes traversing the wall and at least one strip with pellets having an electrically insulating substrate and electrically conductive pellets spaced apart from one another on the electrically insulating substrate. The strip with pellets is fastened on the wall by the two lightning traps. The strip with pellets is attached on the inner surface of the wall.

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.

Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for an antenna system including a cavity and a broadband antenna coupled to the cavity. The broadband antenna may include surfaces defining a slot, wherein a cross-section of the cavity defines a resonant frequency range of the slot. The broadband antenna may also include a plurality of transmission lines, wherein the plurality of transmission lines bridge the slot and are spaced apart at a sub-wavelength distance with respect to a target frequency range of the antenna system. Additionally, the broadband antenna may include a plurality of inductive tuning elements, each inductive tuning element being disposed adjacent to one of the plurality of transmission lines, wherein the target frequency range is a function of the resonant frequency range and an impedance associated with the plurality of inductive tuning elements.

An antenna array has a plurality of square or rectangular antenna assemblies. Each assembly includes a first antenna assembly surface with a solar cell and a second antenna assembly with one or more antenna elements. The antenna assemblies are interconnected without gaps therebetween to form a first contiguous array surface comprised of the first antenna assembly surfaces and a second contiguous array surface comprised of the second antenna assembly surfaces. The antenna assemblies are connected together by mechanically stored-energy connectors, such as spring tape, that self-deploy the array in space without the use of electric energy.

A contiguous radiating ring antenna structure suitable for a vehicle is disclosed. The antenna structure comprises a curved shape structure having a plurality of radiating rings, a plurality of sectors, a connecting unit, and a plurality of frequency barriers. The antenna structure has a phase variation of less than 2? degrees over 360? of azimuth coverage and about +/?85? of elevation coverage. The antenna structure has a thickness of less than 0.5 inches. The contiguous radiating ring antenna structure is design for demanding vehicular applications, including missiles, rockets, and aircraft. The contiguous radiating annular ring antenna comprises a beam forming network, which is configured to be incorporated into a printed antenna board for enhancing the vehicular communications.

A structural antenna array may include a core including intersecting wall sections, wherein the core further includes antenna elements formed on a first surface of the wall sections, and feed elements formed on a second surface of the wall sections, a distribution substrate layer coupled to the core and in electrical communication with the antenna elements and the feed elements, a first skin coupled to the core opposite the distribution substrate layer, and a second skin coupled to the distribution substrate layer opposite the first skin.

An antenna system having reduced back radiation is disclosed. The antenna system includes an antenna and ground plane. The antenna includes electro-textiles and is configured to operate in at least the frequency range between 1.1-1.6 GHz. The ground plane includes electro-textiles and is configured to operate as a frequency selective surface with electronic band gap characteristics to suppress edge and curved surface diffraction effects. In this system, the antenna and ground plane are configured to be located on a curved surface and to radiate with a directional radiation pattern having attenuated back lobes.

A surface wave antenna system is presented. The surface wave antenna system is configured to be coupled to a surface and includes an antenna and a radiation modifier. The radiation modifier includes a material having a graded dielectric constant. A final portion of the radiation modifier includes material having a dielectric constant that produces a signal phase velocity in signals emitted from the radiation modifier that is substantially equal to a phase velocity of signals on the surface.

A flying machine or other vehicle includes at least two antenna units and a central control unit. In a first mode of operation, the two antenna units send and/or receive signals independent of each other in different, non-overlapping frequency bands. The central control unit is adapted to control the two antenna units in a second mode of operation such that the two antennas transmit and/or receive a common signal in a common frequency band using a Multiple Input Multiple Output transmission technique.

An antenna array includes a plurality of flared notch radiators recessed within a missile nose cone and positioned in a circumferential arrangement around and extending radially from the payload's metal skin to contact an annular metal cover that provides a ground plane such that each flared notch radiator is inclined towards the boresight axis. The payload's metal skin provides an image plane for each flared notch radiator to launch RF energy with a radial polarization normal to the image plane forward through the annular RF radome. Each flared notch radiator may be positioned within a 5 sided waveguide to further improve directionality and isolation.