Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - 26

RF & Microwave Technology
Making Fully Digital Beamforming
for Radar and Electronic Warfare
Applications a Reality
W
hile the basic physics of
beamforming were first
identified more than a
century ago, it wasn't until
the past two decades that advances in
supporting technology enabled the
rapid expansion of the types of applications
that can take advantage of this
technology.
As early adopters of beamforming
technology in the 1960s, aerospace
and defense organizations have a lot of
experience using the initial large-scale
active electronically scanned arrays
(AESAs) for military radar tracking applications.
As a result of the innovations
led by military organizations for
several decades, commercial applications
such as weather detection and
radio broadcasting were able to benefit
from the use of beamforming technologies
as well.
But today, the operational frequencies
of the targets of interest are increasing.
As a result, the wavelengths of
these signals are shorter, which means
the density of the array is increasing
since antenna spacing needs to be
set at one-half the wavelength. For
example, at 25 GHz, the wavelength
in free space is approximately
12 mm (0.47 " ), leading to halfwave
spacing for antennas of 6 mm
(0.24 " ). And the denser the array, the
more important it is to be able to steer
beams to avoid interference, especially
when transmitting signals.
This article provides a brief over -
view of how the technology used inside
arrays, such as passive components,
has evolved to allow for
the possibility of fully
digital beamforming
today
and
how RF designers can overcome the
challenges associated with designing a
fully digital array that can be used for
military applications.
A Brief Overview of Beamforming
Options
Over the years, beamforming technology
has evolved significantly.
Config26
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Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021

Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Intro
Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Sponsor
Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Band1
Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Band2
Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Cov1
Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Cov2
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Aerospace & Defense Technology - June 2021 - Cov3
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