A stripline conformal patch antenna is disclosed. The antenna comprises circuit board that includes a composite dielectric which has a bottom surface and a top surface. The bottom surface comprises a bottom surface conductive ground plane. The top surface comprises an array of a plurality of conductive antenna elements and a top surface conductive ground plane disposed around the plurality of antenna elements. The stripline conformal antenna also includes a conductor, extending from an antenna input through the composite dielectric, the conductor forming a stripline between the top surface conductive ground plane and the bottom surface conductive ground plane. A plurality of electrical vias extend through the composite dielectric, electrically shorting the bottom surface conductive ground plane and the top surface conductive ground plane.

A conformal antenna having dielectric lenses disposed over the antenna elements is disclosed. The antenna comprises a circuit board having a composite dielectric. The composite dielectric includes an array of a plurality of antenna elements disposed on the top surface and a conductive ground plane disposed on the bottom surface. A conductor extends from an antenna input through the composite dielectric, the conductor forming microstrip with the bottom surface conductive ground plane. The top surface of the composite dielectric further comprises at least one dielectric lens, each dielectric lens disposed over only one antenna element of at least a subset of the plurality of antenna elements.

A satellite communication system for an aircraft communicates with multiple satellite constellations. The communication system includes a phased array antenna system and a transceiver. The transceiver is configured to communicate with a number of satellite constellations and configured to support simultaneously links to two or more constellations via the phased array antenna system. The satellite constellations can be micro-satellite, MEO, LEO, and GEO constellations.

The invention is directed to an antenna structure for producing a horizontally polarized beam. In one embodiment, the antenna structure includes a first quarter-wave patch antenna and a second quarter-wave patch antenna that are positioned such that the ground planes of the patch antennas or a ground plane shared by the patch antennas is disposed between the patches of the two antennas and the shorting structures associated with the antennas are substantially aligned. In operation, the antenna structure is capable of processing an omni-directional, horizontally polarized beam.

Disclosed is a wing leading edge antenna system (WLEAS). The WLEAS includes an upper leading edge (LE) of a wing of an aircraft, a two-dimensional non-gimbaled scannable antenna (2D-NGSA), and an adapter plate. The upper LE of the wing includes two LE ribs and a LE cavity formed by the two LE ribs and a lower LE surface of the wing and the adapter plate is attached to both of the LE ribs within the LE cavity. Moreover, the 2D-NGSA is attached to the adapter plate within the LE cavity.

An aircraft includes a fuselage assembly including a first elongated structural member formed of electrically conductive material, at least one wing assembly including a second structural member formed of electrically conductive material, at least one horizontal stabilizer assembly including a third structural member formed of electrically conductive material, and at least one vertical stabilizer assembly including a fourth structural member formed of electrically conductive material. The wing assembly, the horizontal stabilizer, and the vertical stabilizer are each interconnected with the fuselage assembly in a flight configuration normal to the fuselage. The first, second, third and fourth structural members are electrically insulated from one another. An electronic communication device within the aircraft is configurable for selective electrical interconnection of two or more of said structural members to form a dipole or monopole type transmitting/receiving antenna.

The antenna includes a first antenna unit and a second antenna unit. The first antenna unit and the second antenna unit are disposed on the same surface of a substrate. The first antenna unit includes a first primary radiation unit and a first secondary radiation unit, and the second antenna unit includes a second primary radiation unit and a second secondary radiation unit. A gap exists between the first primary radiation unit and the second primary radiation unit. The first secondary radiation unit is connected to one end of the first primary radiation unit that is away from the second primary radiation unit, the second secondary radiation unit is connected to one end of the second primary radiation unit that is away from the first primary radiation unit, and the first secondary radiation unit and the second secondary radiation unit are located on the same side of the substrate.

A system and method for a multi-panel multi-function active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar operation receives radar commands from individual aircraft systems and segments a plurality of AESA panels fixed (at variable azimuth/elevation about the aircraft) into a plurality of subarrays to carry out each individual function commanded by the individual aircraft system. Dependent on aircraft status and phase of flight, the and individual AESA are designated for use and the subarrays are sized based on desired radar function at the specific phase of flight and specific threat associated with the phase. The system dynamically shifts the designated AESA, subarray size, beam characteristics, power settings, and function to enable multiple simultaneous function of the suite of AESA panels.

An aircraft includes a fuselage assembly including a first elongated structural member formed of electrically conductive material, at least one wing assembly including a second structural member formed of electrically conductive material, at least one horizontal stabilizer assembly including a third structural member formed of electrically conductive material, and at least one vertical stabilizer assembly including a fourth structural member formed of electrically conductive material. The wing assembly, the horizontal stabilizer, and the vertical stabilizer are each interconnected with the fuselage assembly in a flight configuration normal to the fuselage. The first, second, third and fourth structural members are electrically insulated from one another. An electronic communication device within the aircraft is configurable for selective electrical interconnection of two or more of said structural members to form a dipole or monopole type transmitting/receiving antenna.

Core structures (120) for composite panels (75) of an aircraft (10), composite panels (75) and aircraft (10) including the core structures (120), and methods (200) of manufacturing the composite panels (75) are disclosed herein. The core structures (120) include a first side (140), a second side (150), and a connecting region (160) that interconnects an upper portion (142) of the first side (140) with an upper portion (152) of the second side (150). The first side (140), the second side (150), and the connecting region (160) at least partially define an antenna housing (62), which defines a housing volume (64) configured to contain an aircraft antenna (60) of the aircraft (10), and an electromagnetic wave transmission region (66) configured to permit electromagnetic waves to pass therethrough. The electromagnetic wave transmission region (66) defines a plurality of kite-shaped voids (130) arranged in a repeating pattern and bounded by a corresponding plurality of walls (170), at least 10% of which extends at least substantially perpendicular to a surface (122/124) that bounds the electromagnetic wave transmission region (66).