In special vehicles, operational vehicles and mobile platforms, radio communications and RF systems must operate under very different conditions compared to a fixed installation.
The vehicle moves, changes orientation, operates in different scenarios and often has to integrate multiple RF functions within the same space. Communications, data links, GNSS, telemetry, RF monitoring, security systems, C-UAS systems, links with drones or remote units may coexist on the same platform, with installation constraints that are not always easy to manage.
In these contexts, the antenna should not be considered a component to be installed on the vehicle once the project is complete. It is part of the RF architecture and can contribute to link continuity, radio coverage, coexistence between multiple RF systems and consistency between equipment, vehicle and operational scenario.
ElettroMagnetic Services Srl designs and manufactures custom antennas and tailor-made antenna systems for special vehicles, operational vehicles, mobile units and RF platforms installed on land vehicles.
We do not supply complete special vehicles, nor do we develop active electronics, radio equipment, modems, jammers, complete C-UAS systems or integrated RF platforms. Our contribution concerns the antenna part: design, optimisation, manufacturing and characterisation of custom antennas and antenna systems intended to be connected to the Customer’s RF equipment.
The objective is to help the Customer develop an antenna solution that is consistent with the RF architecture, the real vehicle and the expected operating conditions.
Custom antennas for special vehicles and antennas for mobile RF systems must therefore be developed by considering, from the very beginning, the real vehicle, the available position, the operating bands, the presence of other antennas, the mechanical constraints and the dynamic scenarios in which the platform will have to operate.
Custom antennas for special vehicles and mobile platforms
A special vehicle is not a neutral surface on which an antenna can be freely installed.
The bodywork, roof, metal structures, technical accessories, radomes, cabling, internal equipment and other antennas present on the vehicle can modify RF behaviour compared to what is expected under ideal conditions.
A standard solution may show good nominal performance, but behave differently once installed on the real mobile platform. The result may be coverage that is not consistent with the application, reduced link quality or greater mechanical integration difficulty.
Antennas for mobile platforms must be evaluated in relation to the structure on which they will be installed, because bodywork, roof, supports, radomes, cabling and metal surfaces can modify efficiency, coverage and radiation pattern.
Designing a custom antenna means addressing these aspects from the earliest stages of the project, reducing the risk that the RF part becomes a criticality during final integration, field testing or operational use.
Why the antenna is critical on a mobile vehicle
On a special vehicle, the antenna operates in a dynamic context.
The vehicle may operate in urban, industrial, airport, port, extra-urban or emergency scenarios. It may be close to buildings, metal infrastructures, other vehicles, obstacles, radio equipment or interfering sources.
During movement, the platform also changes position and orientation in relation to other network nodes, the remote station, the drone to be controlled, the area to be covered or the RF source to be monitored.
For this reason, the antenna should not be evaluated only as an isolated component. It must be designed by considering the real vehicle, the installation position and the function it will have to support.
A tailor-made solution makes it possible to develop RF behaviour that is more consistent with the vehicle and the operational scenario, reducing the uncertainty typical of installations based on standard antennas adapted afterwards.
Antennas for communications, data links, GNSS and mobile RF systems
Special vehicles can integrate very different RF systems: radio communications, VHF/UHF links, data links, GNSS, LTE/5G, Wi-Fi, telemetry, RF monitoring, security equipment, C-UAS systems, links with drones, remote units or control centres.
Antennas for mobile vehicle communications, antennas for vehicle data links and vehicle GNSS antennas must be evaluated in the final configuration of the vehicle, because mounting position, height from the ground, orientation, metal surfaces and coexistence with other RF equipment can affect link continuity and quality.
In these cases, the issue is not only choosing an antenna compatible with the required electrical specifications. The point is to understand how that solution will behave once installed on the vehicle, in the presence of other antennas, metal surfaces, cabling, electronic equipment and dynamic operating conditions.
A standard solution may be adequate as a single component, but not maintain the same coverage and link continuity in the final configuration.
Designing a custom antenna means developing a solution that is more consistent with the vehicle, the required RF function and the real operating conditions.
Special vehicles for defense, security and emergency applications
In the defense, security, civil protection and emergency sectors, special vehicles are often used to operate in non-static scenarios: convoys, events, temporary infrastructures, airports, ports, sensitive sites, territorial control and mobile operational areas.
Unlike a fixed system, a mobile vehicle must maintain reliable links while changing position, orientation and environmental context.
This is particularly relevant in mobile RF systems intended for communication, surveillance, monitoring, drone support or C-UAS applications, where the platform may be required to operate under variable conditions and with several RF functions active within the same space.
In these cases, the antenna part must be designed consistently with the vehicle and with the required operational function, avoiding improvised, bulky or poorly controllable configurations from an RF point of view.
Mobile C-UAS systems and multi-antenna configurations
Many mobile RF systems, particularly in C-UAS applications, require several antennas on the same platform.
Installing many antennas close to one another may seem like a simple solution, but it introduces criticalities that are difficult to manage: interactions between antennas, complex cabling, uncontrolled radiation patterns, large dimensions and greater visual impact on the vehicle.
The point is not only to add antennas to the platform, but to design an antenna system that can work coherently with the real vehicle.
Antennas for mobile C-UAS systems and antennas for C-UAS vehicles must be designed by considering coverage, isolation, installation geometry, position on the vehicle, cabling, radomes and interaction with the platform, preventing the antenna layout from becoming an uncontrolled compromise.
A custom design makes it possible to evaluate number, position, isolation, radomes, cabling and RF behaviour as a whole, reducing the risk that the installation becomes a technical compromise that is not properly controlled.
Conformal antennas and discreet integration on the vehicle
In many applications on special vehicles, RF performance is not the only requirement.
The system must also comply with constraints related to space, dimensions, mechanical robustness, environmental protection and integration into the geometry of the vehicle. In some cases, it may be important to reduce the visual impact of the installation or avoid external solutions that are too exposed.
This may require the design of conformal antennas, antennas integrated into radomes, low-profile solutions or antenna systems developed to adapt to the vehicle configuration.
Conformal antennas for vehicles and low-profile antennas for vehicles make it possible to integrate advanced RF functions while reducing the visual impact of the installation, but they require careful evaluation of materials, vehicle geometry, radomes, available position and electromagnetic behaviour on the real platform.
In these applications, the antenna is not simply added to the vehicle. It is designed by considering the platform as part of the RF problem.
The advantage is a solution that is more orderly, more consistent with the vehicle and less dependent on later mechanical or installation adaptations.
Rugged antennas for operational vehicles, shelters and mobile units
A special vehicle may operate under demanding environmental and mechanical conditions.
Vibrations, shocks, dust, water, temperature variations, exposure to weather conditions and intensive operating cycles can affect the reliability of the antenna and antenna system.
Rugged antennas for operational vehicles and antennas for mobile shelters must maintain consistent RF performance even in the presence of mechanical stresses, severe environmental conditions, fixing constraints, complex cabling and continuous field use.
For this reason, in the development of custom antennas for operational vehicles, RF performance, mechanical robustness and environmental protection must be considered together.
This is particularly important for vehicles intended for defense, security, civil protection, emergency, monitoring, mobile telecommunications, territorial control, surveillance and special RF applications.
From the operational requirement to the antenna solution
Every special vehicle project starts from the analysis of the application scenario.
ElettroMagnetic Services Srl evaluates together with the Customer the RF function to be supported, the type of vehicle, the available position for the antenna, the presence of other RF systems, installation constraints, operating conditions and coverage or link objectives.
From this analysis, a tailor-made antenna solution is developed through electromagnetic simulation, prototyping, optimisation, measurements and characterisation in an anechoic chamber.
This process makes it possible to transform the constraints of the vehicle and the application into design criteria, reducing the uncertainty between expected performance and real behaviour.
The advantage for the Customer
Involving ElettroMagnetic Services Srl in the design of custom antennas for special vehicles 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 platform, 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 vehicle and the expected operating conditions.
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 special vehicles, 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, radomes, cabling and coexistence with other RF systems can still be optimised.
Custom antennas for your special vehicle
If you are developing a special vehicle, an operational vehicle, a mobile shelter, a system for defense, security, civil protection, emergency, monitoring, mobile telecommunications, C-UAS or links with drones and remote units, ElettroMagnetic Services Srl can support you in designing the custom antenna best suited to your operational scenario.
Tell us about your project: vehicle, RF function to be supported, available position for the antenna, installation constraints, coexistence with other RF systems, operating conditions and expected performance are the starting point for designing an antenna solution that is truly consistent with your mobile platform.
CONTACT US
