Phased Array Radar

Basics
Jeffrey Herd
MIT Lincoln Laboratory
17 November 2009

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Radar Course
JSH -1

Outline

History and Evolution of Phased Arrays

Phased Array Radar Fundamentals
Array Beamforming
Electronic Scanning
Active Transmit-Receive Modules

Summary

Radar Course
JSH -2

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Radar Antenna Architectures

Dish Antenna

Passive Phased Array

Active Phased Array

Beamformer

Very low cost

Frequency diversity
Slow scan rate
High distribution loss
Single point of failure

MILLSTONE
Radar Course
JSH -3

T/R
Modules

Beam agility
Effective radar resource
management
High distribution loss
Higher cost

SPY-1

Highest performance
Effective radar resource
management
Low distribution loss
Highest cost

THAAD
MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Dish Radar Example

MIT LL Millstone Radar

2 Klystrons with 3 MW peak power

120 kW avg power

Center Frequency of 1295 MHz

8 MHz bandwidth

$400,000/tube
7 ft x 1ft
600 lbs
3% duty cycle
42 dB gain

Millstone Klystron Tube

Radar Course
JSH -4

Advantages

High output power

Low cost per watt
Disadvantages
Single point of failure
Large size

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Solid State Array Radar Example

PAVE PAWS
First all-solid-state array radar
UHF Band
1800 active transceiver T/R
modules, 340 W of peak power
each
Transmit and Receive Modules

Advantages
Electronic beam agility
Low maintenance (no moving
parts)
Graceful degradation

Disadvantages
Higher cost per watt

Radar Course
JSH -5

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Phased Array Radar Evolution

Passive Arrays

Active Arrays

( Phase Shifter at Element)

(Amplifiers + Phase Shifter at Element)

Surface
Radar Course
JSH -6

X-Band

X-Band

X-Band

2015

X-Band

2010

MP-RTIP

2005

JSF

2000

F/A-22

1995

1980

1975

X-Band

JSTARS

1990

B-1B

1985

Airborne

Increasing Beam Agility

Patriot

SPY-1

THAAD

SBX

SPY-3

C-Band

S-Band

X-Band

X-Band

X-Band

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Outline

History and Evolution of Phased Arrays

Phased Array Radar Fundamentals
Array Beamforming
Electronic Scanning
Active Transmit-Receive Modules

Summary

Radar Course
JSH -7

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Array Beamforming
Multiple antennas combined to enhance radiation and shape pattern
Isotropic
Element

Array

Array

Direction

Radar Course
JSH -8

Direction

Phase
Shifter

Response

Response

Response

Response

Combiner

Phased Array

Direction

Direction
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Array Beamforming (Beam Collimation)

Want fields to interfere constructively (add) in desired directions,
and interfere destructively (cancel) in the remaining space
Broadside Beam

Radar Course
JSH -9

Scan To 30 deg

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Broadside Uniform Linear Array

Design Goal
Maximum at

Required Phase

b =0

q = 90

L = (N-1) d

y = k d cos q + b q =90 = 0
d = l/4 separation

N = 10 Elements

d = l separation

d = l/2 separation

20

7 dBi

Grating
Lobes

10 dBi

Directivity (dBi)

10

10 dBi
0

-10

-20

-30
0

30

60

90

120

150

Angle off Array q (deg)

180 0

30

60

90

120

150

Angle off Array q (deg)

180 0

30

60

90

120

150

Angle off Array q (deg)

Limit element separation to d < l to prevent

grating lobes for broadside array
Radar Course
JSH -10

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

180

Increasing Broadside Linear Array

Size by Adding Elements
z

Element Separation d = l/2

N = 10 Elements

L = (N-1) d

N = 20 Elements

N = 40 Elements

13 dBi

16 dBi

20

10 dBi
Directivity (dBi)

10

-10

-20

-30
0

30

60

90

120

150

Angle off Array q (deg)

180 0

30

60

90

120

150

Angle off Array q (deg)

180 0

30

60

120

150

Angle off Array q (deg)

Gain ~ 2N(d / l) ~ 2L / l
for long broadside array without grating lobes*
Radar Course
JSH -11

90

*d<l

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

180

Excitation Amplitudes
Tapers Across 10 Element Linear Array
Uniform Amplitude

26 dB Dolph-Tschebyscheff

Binomial

150

100

50
1
1

10

10

-5

-5

-5

-10

-10

-15

-15

-15

-20

-20

-20

-25

-25

-30

-30

-30

-35

-35

-35

-10

-40

13 dB SLL

30

60

90

120

150

180

-40
0

26 dB SLL

30

60

-25

90

120

150

180

-40
0

No Sidelobes Theoretical Result!

30

60

90

120

150

Amplitude & Phase Errors Limit the Sidelobe Level (SLL)

That Can Be Achieved in Practice: > 40 dB is Challenging
Radar Course
JSH -12

10

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

180

Polarization
Defined by behavior of the electric field vector as it propagates
in time

Electromagnetic
Wave

Electric Field

f
Magnetic Field

Vertical
Linear
(with respect
to Earth)

Horizontal
Linear
(with respect
to Earth)

Radar Course
JSH -13

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Active Array T/R Module

Radar Course
JSH -14

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

T/R Module / Subarray Integration

64 Element Tile

Radar Course
JSH -15

High levels of integration reduce unit cost

Automated assembly and test reduces touch labor cost
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Summary
Phased array provides improvements in radar functionality
and performance
Beam agility
Effective radar resource management
Graceful degradation with module failures

Current trend is towards active arrays with distributed T/R

modules
Large number of distributed active components and control
High levels of integration required to achieve low cost

Radar Course
JSH -16

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

References

General Antenna Theory and Design:

Special Topics:

Hansen, R. C., Microwave Scanning Antennas. California: Peninsula

Publishing, 1985.
Pozar, D. M., Schaubert, D. H. eds., Microstrip Antennas: The
Analysis and Design of Microstrip Antennas and Arrays. New York:
IEEE, 1995.

Handbooks:

Radar Course
JSH -17

Balanis, C.A., Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, 2nd ed. New
York: Wiley, 1997.*
Elliot, R. S., Antenna Theory and Design. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall,
1981.
Kraus, J.D., Antennas 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1993.
Stutzman W. L., Thiele, G. A., Antenna Theory and Design, 2nd ed.
New York: Wiley, 1998.

Lo, Y.T. and Lee S.W. eds., Antenna Handbook, Theory, Applications,
and Design. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1993.
Mailloux, R. J., Phased Array Antenna Handbook. Artech House,
1994.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory