A.R. Bestugin1, M.B. Ryzhikov2, I.A. Kirshina3, V.G. Svanidze4

1–4  Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (SUAI) (Saint Petersburg, Russia)

The X-band meteorological navigation airborne radar station (MNR) is a key element of the onboard radio-electronic equipment of modern civil aviation. The MNR is rightfully called the «eyes» of the navigator of the aircraft, both «live» and electronic. Even in difficult meteorological conditions, when the visibility range of optical surveillance systems is reduced to a minimum, the radar continues to help the crew solve the complex tasks assigned to it: takeoff and landing in difficult conditions, delivery of passengers and cargo to hard-to-reach settlements, conducting radar reconnaissance of the area, conducting radar sounding of the underlying surface and atmospheric formations for scientific purposes, etc. At the same time, the issue of flight safety is key. And it is the radar that is irreplaceable in the matter of detecting formations dangerous for flight in the atmosphere, other aircraft in the air (representing a potential collision hazard), power transmission poles, high-rise elements of buildings and other potentially dangerous objects.

Modern airborne weather navigation radars are distinguished by their multi-functionality: in addition to the requirement to detect dangerous weather phenomena, such as turbulence, heavy precipitation zones, wind shear, it is also necessary to detect point and group air and ground targets. In addition, the tasks of intelligent selection of point, surface – and volume-distributed targets are set.

Phase direction finding methods are actively used to identify and determine the angular position of point targets.

The work considers a method for limiting the range of determination of the direction-finding characteristics of an onboard meteorological navigation radar by a weighted comparison of the signals of the total and compensation channels. The advantages and disadvantages of the method are indicated. Based on a mathematical model of an onboard radar (including a model of a multi-channel phased array antenna, a model of a compensation channel with open-end antennas of rectangular and round waveguides, a signal processing model), the method was modeled. Based on the simulation results, the curves of the directivity diagrams of the total and compensation channels, the direction-finding characteristics for various types of amplitude distribution of the antenna array were obtained; the calculation of the directional coefficients of the antennas, the coefficients of comparison of channel signals, the areas of unambiguous determination of the direction-finding characteristics for the case of the scanning antenna in the azimuthal plane was carried out. The results of the work can be used by the developer of an onboard radar to solve the problems of determining the angular position of point and group targets by means of an unambiguous phase direction finding characteristic with a controlled detection area.

Bestugin A.R., Ryzhikov M.B., Kirshina I.A., Svanidze V.G. Control of the operating range of the direction finding characteristics of the onboard phased array antenna by means of a compensation channel. Achievements of modern radioelectronics. 2021. V. 75. № 10. P. 39–49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j20700784-202110-03 [in Russian]

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