Potential Application of PARADOX (Polarimetric Airborne Radar Operating at X-band) to High Ice Water Content (HIWC) Monitoring

This paper introduces the Polarimetric Airborne Radar Operating at X-band (PARADOX) concept and design as a potential solution to atmospheric hazard challenges, such as High Ice Water Content (HIWC), which is an atmospheric condition at high altitude that may lead to failure of jet engines, and a potential threat to aviation safety and space launch operations. Firstly, we propose a system design solution and associated simulation tools (based on the single-cell Monte Carlo, or SCMC) and a new design of the broadside, planar, polarimetric array antenna. Secondly, we use NASA flight campaign data from 2015 as part of the validation of the radar sensor. We analyzed the trade-offs of the PARADOX system performance through this process and further suggest PARADOX as a low-cost, high-performance airborne radar solution for future aviation hazards demanding the understanding of particle distributions.