V. S. Efremov - Ph.D. (Eng.), Deputy General Director, Lianozovo Electromechanical Plant Research and Production Corporation (Moscow) E-mail: lemz@tsr.ru V. I. Vinnikov - Head of Laboratory, Lianozovo Electromechanical Plant Research and Production Corporation (Moscow) E-mail: sector-20@ya.ru A. V. Suchkov - Leading Engineer, Lianozovo Electromechanical Plant Research and Production Corporation (Moscow) E-mail: avsu@bk.ru

This article considers the development features of frequency-scanning monopulse antenna array for the enroute radar system. The proposed antenna is implemented on the basis of linear waveguide-slot radiators and waveguide BFN, which generate sum and dif-ference radiation patterns in the vertical plane. To date a number of radars with single-channel frequency-scanning waveguide-slot antenna arrays were created [1, 2]. They have mechanical rotation in azimuth plane and frequency-controlled beam position in elevation plane to determine three coordinates of air objects. However, toughening of requirements to the height measurement root-mean-square error value excludes the possibility of previously developed antennas complete borrowing to use them in composition of new radar modifications. The reason for this is that their single-channel construction, which provides frequency scan multi-beam directional pattern formation in the vertical plane, allows to measure altitude by interpolation of elevation angles with simultaneous comparison of the echo signal amplitudes received by in-dependent channels of adjacent beams. A disadvantage of this method in radars with frequency scanning is that the possibility of in-creasing the altitude measurement accuracy is limited due to presence of decorrelation of compared echo signals in adjacent beams, which are formed at spaced frequencies. Also it should be noted, that the side lobe levels of the radiation pattern in frequency scanning plane (about 20 dB, as a rule), which is provided by a beamforming network (BFN) is currently insufficient to ensure the requirements of noise immunity. To solve the denoted problems, the fundamental processing of frequency scanning power distribution system have been carried out (fig. 2-5), which allowed to realize the series sum-difference BFN and, accordingly, the monopulse method of altitude measurement in each beam at a fixed frequency of the echo signal. The main result of this study consists in possibility of practical realization of the monopulse frequency-scanning antenna design (fig. 6) with high quality electrodynamic and operational characteristics. All declared technical characteristics have been confirmed by experimental testing results (fig. 7-9). We also preserve all the main advantages of previous developed technical solutions for single-channel antennas in part of approaches to the implementation of the linear waveguide-slot radiators and the high-precision production technology of slow-wave waveguide system, which ensure technical characteristics repeatability in mass production.

 

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