In radar and remote sensing systems, the antenna is not simply a transmitting or receiving component. It is the element that determines how the RF signal is radiated and received, contributing to the consistency between the application, the installation platform and the measurement objectives.
A radar system may be correctly developed from an electronic point of view, but still fail to achieve the expected performance if the antenna is not designed according to the real configuration in which it will have to operate.
This applies to L-band, S-band and C-band radar, SAR systems, Georadar, GPR, radar arrays, remote sensing applications, Earth observation, scientific research, environmental monitoring, subsurface investigation and RF systems intended for industrial or experimental applications.
ElettroMagnetic Services Srl designs and manufactures custom antennas and tailor-made antenna solutions for radar and remote sensing applications, developed starting from the Customer’s technical requirements and actual operating conditions.
Custom radar antennas make it possible to develop an RF solution that is consistent with the operating frequency, bandwidth, radiation pattern, polarisation, installation platform and measurement objectives of the system. For this reason, in antenna design for radar systems, the evaluation of the final application is an integral part of the development process.
We do not supply complete radar systems, nor do we develop active electronics, transmitters, receivers, processing units or analysis software. Our contribution concerns the antenna part: design, optimisation, manufacturing and characterisation of custom antennas and antenna systems intended to be integrated into broader RF architectures.
The objective is to help the Customer develop an antenna solution that is consistent with the RF architecture, the installation platform and the behaviour required by the radar or remote sensing application.
Custom antennas for radar and remote sensing systems
In radar systems, the antenna must be designed according to the real application. It is not enough to choose an antenna based only on the technical specifications shown in the datasheet, because the actual behaviour also depends on how the antenna is installed and used in the system.
In some applications, the main requirement is to precisely control the area illuminated by the radar. In others, it is more important to obtain stable behaviour during measurement, adapt the antenna to the platform or comply with very specific mechanical constraints.
When the antenna is installed on a real platform, the surrounding structure can modify its behaviour. Metal supports, enclosures, radomes, mounting surfaces and other nearby elements can make the real performance very different from the performance expected under ideal conditions.
For this reason, in radar and remote sensing applications, the antenna should be evaluated from the earliest stages of definition of the RF architecture and installation platform, when position, dimensions and mechanical integration can still be optimised.
Why a standard antenna may not be enough
A datasheet does not always describe how the antenna will behave in the actual conditions of use.
A standard antenna may show adequate performance under controlled test conditions, but behave differently once integrated into radar equipment, installed on a metal structure, placed behind a radome or used close to other RF elements.
In these cases, the issue does not concern only frequency matching. The point is to understand whether the antenna maintains behaviour that is consistent with the measurement objective and with the real system configuration.
A custom design makes it possible to address these aspects from the beginning, transforming the technical requirements of the application into concrete design criteria.
In radar antenna design, this means starting from the real system requirements and transforming operating frequency, bandwidth, gain, directivity, polarisation, mechanical constraints and installation conditions into verifiable design criteria.
Antennas for L-band, S-band and C-band radar
L-band, S-band and C-band radar systems can be used in very different applications. Measurement objectives, platform, observation distance, operating environment and the way the system must interact with the area to be analysed may all change.
In this context, the antenna cannot be evaluated as an isolated component. It must be designed in relation to the behaviour required by the radar and to the real configuration in which it will be installed.
ElettroMagnetic Services Srl develops custom antennas for L-band, S-band and C-band radar by taking into account the final application, the constraints of the platform and the RF behaviour required by the project.
L-band, S-band and C-band radar antennas must therefore be designed by considering not only the nominal frequency, but also the behaviour required in the real installation configuration, where the platform, supports, radome and nearby structures can modify actual performance.
This approach reduces the risk of forcibly adapting a standard antenna to a system that instead requires a tailor-made solution.
Antennas for SAR and remote sensing
In SAR systems and remote sensing applications, the behaviour of the antenna contributes to the way the system observes the area of interest.
SAR antennas and remote sensing antennas must ensure stable and consistent RF behaviour, because radiation pattern, polarisation, bandwidth and integration on the platform can affect the quality of the information collected. For this reason, antennas for SAR systems must be developed by considering the entire measurement configuration, not only the single radiating element.
The quality of the acquired data does not depend only on electronics or signal processing. It also depends on the consistency between the RF behaviour of the antenna, the installation geometry and the operating conditions.
An antenna designed without considering the final configuration may be correct as a single component, but behave differently once installed on the real platform.
This can become critical in scientific, environmental, industrial or experimental applications, where repeatability and measurement consistency are an essential part of the result.
Developing a tailor-made antenna makes it possible to design the radiating system according to the remote sensing objective, avoiding the use of a standard solution that may not be suitable for the real context.
Antennas for Georadar and GPR
Georadar and GPR systems require antennas designed according to the type of investigation and the medium to be analysed.
Antennas for Georadar and GPR antennas must be designed according to the investigation depth, required resolution, type of surface or material to be analysed, operating bandwidth and integration geometry within the measurement system.
An application intended for ground investigation may have different requirements compared to a system designed for pavements, structures, materials or specific surfaces. In these cases, the behaviour of the antenna must be consistent with the measurement objective and with the way the system is used in the field.
RF performance under ideal conditions alone is not sufficient. The antenna must be able to operate inside a mechanical structure suitable for real use, while maintaining predictable behaviour during operation.
A custom solution makes it possible to better balance RF performance, mechanical constraints and measurement objectives, reducing the compromises typically associated with adapting a standard antenna.
Radar arrays and multi-antenna systems
Many radar systems require arrays or multi-antenna configurations to obtain RF behaviour that would not be possible with a single radiating element.
In these cases, it is not enough to design a good antenna and replicate it several times. The antenna system must be evaluated as a whole, because the distance between the elements, the geometry of the structure, the cabling and the platform can modify the overall behaviour.
Radar array antennas and radar antenna systems must therefore be designed by considering the behaviour of the whole system, because the repetition of radiating elements does not automatically guarantee the radiation pattern, coverage or stability required by the final application.
When the array is installed on a real platform, the surrounding structure can introduce differences compared to the behaviour expected during the design phase. For this reason, the array must be developed as an antenna system, not as a simple set of separate elements.
RF behaviour and integration on the real platform
In radar and remote sensing systems, the RF behaviour of the antenna must be consistent with the measurement objective and with the real configuration in which the antenna will be used.
The way the antenna radiates and receives the signal can influence the observed area, the quality of the useful signal and the repeatability of the acquired data. For this reason, the antenna solution should not be evaluated only as an isolated component, but also by considering the platform on which it will be installed.
A radar antenna can be mounted on a vehicle, an aircraft, a fixed structure, a measurement bench, a mobile platform, scientific equipment, an industrial system or an enclosure designed for protection and integration. In all these cases, the real installation configuration can modify the behaviour of the antenna compared to ideal conditions.
A custom solution makes it possible to develop the antenna part consistently with the mechanics, the RF architecture and the Customer’s measurement objectives, reducing the risk of discovering criticalities only after installation or during validation.
Rugged antennas for scientific, industrial and environmental applications
Radar and remote sensing applications may require antennas designed for demanding operating environments.
Rugged antennas for radar must maintain consistent RF performance even in the presence of vibrations, shocks, humidity, dust, temperature variations, outdoor installations and mechanical stresses related to field use.
Outdoor systems, measurement campaigns, environmental applications, use on mobile platforms, experimental tests, subsurface investigations and industrial systems can expose the antenna to different stresses compared to a laboratory verification.
In these cases, RF performance, mechanical robustness and environmental protection must be considered together. A custom antenna makes it possible to develop a solution suited to real use, not only to the ideal test condition.
From the radar requirement to the antenna solution
Every antenna project for radar and remote sensing systems starts from the analysis of the real requirements of the application.
Operating frequency, bandwidth, required behaviour of the radiating system, installation platform, dimensional constraints, operating conditions and measurement objectives are evaluated together, in order to transform the Customer’s need into a concrete and verifiable antenna solution.
This analysis may lead to a multi-element antenna system, a radar array, a directional antenna, a wideband solution, a rugged antenna or a solution integrated into a radome or dedicated mechanical structure.
The design is supported by electromagnetic simulations, prototyping, measurements and characterisation in an anechoic chamber, in order to verify the behaviour of the antenna or antenna system before delivery.
This process makes it possible to transform radar requirements, mechanical constraints and operating conditions into a solution designed for the final application.
The advantage for the Customer
Involving ElettroMagnetic Services Srl in the design of custom antennas for radar and remote sensing systems means addressing the RF part related to the antenna while design choices are still open.
This makes it possible to avoid standard antennas that are not optimised for the real application, reduce the risk of RF criticalities in the advanced stages of integration and develop an antenna solution that is consistent with the RF architecture, the platform and the measurement objectives.
It also means being able to verify the behaviour of the antenna or antenna system through measurements and characterisation in an anechoic chamber before delivery.
In radar and remote sensing systems, the antenna is not a secondary component. It should be evaluated from the earliest stages of definition of the RF architecture and installation platform, when position, dimensions, supports and mechanical integration can still be optimised.
Custom antennas for your radar or remote sensing system
If you are developing a radar system, a remote sensing solution, a SAR application, a Georadar, a GPR, a radar array or RF equipment intended for scientific, industrial or environmental applications, ElettroMagnetic Services Srl can support you in designing the custom antenna best suited to your operational scenario.
Tell us about your project: application, operating frequencies, platform, installation constraints, measurement objectives and expected RF performance are the starting point for designing an antenna solution that is truly consistent with your radar or remote sensing system.
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