M. B. Ryzhikov1

1 Saint-Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (St. Petersburg, Russia)

1 maxrmb@yandex.ru

The Arctic is characterized by an unstable meteorological situation that is difficult for flights. The presence of large water pools, partly open and partly closed by ice, the proximity of the warm Gulf Stream and the cold northern current create specific weather conditions. Cloud cover in the Arctic is a traditional phenomenon, since the number of clear days in a year ranges from 5 to 15%. The lower boundary of clouds in winter is about 500 m and below, and in summer is less than 100–200 m.

The results of the study make it possible to determine the recommended parameters of the directional patterns of on-board antennas of meteorological radars designed to detect Arctic clouds and areas of turbulence that are dangerous for flight, without false detections caused by the reflection of signals from the earth surface and the environment and the uneven distribution of wind speed along the height characteristic of polar latitudes. The greatest energy efficiency and the absence of false alarms with small antenna sizes can be obtained by choosing a wavelength of 2 cm, implementing a beam with a width of no more than 5° and a side lobe level of no more than –28 dB. The simulation has been carried out under the condition that the beam was raised so that it did not touch the surface of the earth.

In addition, it is recommended to use antennas with an asymmetric directivity function, which are characterized by a reduced level of lateral radiation into the lower hemisphere. Microstrip antenna arrays can be used for the technical implementation of antennas.

Spatial filtering of re-reflections from the underlying surface in the lower hemisphere can also be implemented in adaptive phased array antennas, but such a solution is expensive for small or unmanned aircraft. A more economical technical solution is the use of a lightweight antenna and a drive to rotate it in azimuth. The article presents a comparative analysis of microstrip antennas with the parameters found and recommended for polar latitudes with symmetrical and non-symmetrical radiation patterns. It has been shown that they can be made without control elements of the amplitude-phase distribution. It has been proved that in the case of using an asymmetric bottom antenna, the suppression of re-reflections from the ground, taking into account two-way propagation, is at least 10 dB better.

Ryzhikov M.B. Microstrip antenna array with an asymmetric directional function for a meteorological navigation onboard radar for operation at arctic latitudes. Information-measuring and Control Systems. 2023. V. 21. № 4. P. 25−33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/ j20700814-202304-04 (in Russian)

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