A Dual-Polarized Leading Edge Wing Conformal Tightly Coupled Dipole Array With Enhanced Low-Scattering Characteristics

Large curvature conformal design and radar cross section (RCS) reduction have long been unresolved challenges for ultrawideband (UWB) arrays. In this work, a novel type of dual-polarized UWB leading edge conformal tightly coupled dipole array (LEC-TCDA) with low-scattering characteristics is proposed for the wings of aircraft platforms. Based on the scattering-matrix approach, a rapid design process for transforming planar TCDA elements into conformal counterparts is proposed, effectively compensating the reduction in gain caused by the curvature of the radiation aperture. Moreover, to reduce the RCS of the antenna, a broadband flexible resistive indium tin oxide (ITO) absorber based on a deformed octagonal ring is designed and employed as a cover layer for controlling the higher frequency out-of-band RCS. A <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10\times 1$ </tex-math></inline-formula> array prototype is fabricated with the standard PCB technology, resin 3-D printing technology, and metal 3-D printing technology. Measurement results show that the proposed array achieves a 0.5–2-GHz (4:1) impedance bandwidth while scanning up to ±45° in the horizontal plane for both polarizations. Remarkably, a measured average RCS reduction (RCSR) of 41.72 and 35.12 dB for H/V-polarization incidence throughout 6–18 GHz is observed. With its excellent radiation and scattering performances, the proposed array underscores the unparalleled advantages of large curvature conformal arrays in the design of low RCS arrays.