On the development of a C-band active array front-end for an airborne polarimetric radar

MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL), in an effort sponsored by the National Center of Atmospheric Research (NCAR), has engaged in the development of C-Band active element phased array front-end hardware for a polarimetric radar application. This polarimetric active element scanning array (AESA) radar, when fully developed, would be deployed on a C-130 for use in Hurricane Hunter-like missions. The combination of mission and platform imposes requirements on the RF hardware that are often in conflict. These specifications include minimum range and resolution, maximum prime power, and a challenging cross-polarization isolation requirement. The RF hardware developed included a dual polarization (pol) radiator test panel, an alternating transmit simultaneous receive (ATSR) transmit/receive (T/R) switch designed and manufactured by M/A-COM Technical Solutions (MTS), a three channel T/R multichip module (MCM), and a four-pack T/R module assembly. This paper describes the mission and platform requirements, presents a notional design for the phased array aperture, discusses the design trades, and provides an overview of the design and performance of the radiator test panel, the MCM and the four-pack T/R module. This work borrowed heavily in terms of materials, technologies, and lessons learned acquired over the past five years from the MPAR Panel [1] development efforts of MIT LL and MTS co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Air Force, and the National Severe Storms Laboratory.