Design and Development of a Microstrip Disc Antenna for Enhanced Performance in Aerial Vehicle Applications

Reliable UAV-to-UAV and UAV-to-ground communication is crucial for autonomous operations, requiring compact, high-performance antennas with enhanced bandwidth and efficiency. Traditional microstrip patch antennas often suffer from narrow bandwidth and suboptimal gain, limiting their effectiveness in UAV applications. This research addresses these challenges by proposing a circular microstrip patch array antenna with a U-slot, designed to operate at 5.2 GHz for improved bandwidth and signal strength. The antenna was designed and simulated using ANSYS HFSS, with Rogers RT/Duroid 5880LZ as the substrate (εr = 2.2, h = 1.27 mm, loss tangent = 0.0028). The U-slot was integrated into the circular patch to optimize resonance, enhance impedance matching, and extend the bandwidth. A single microstrip-fed port was split into two lines for balanced power distribution to individual circular patches, ensuring efficient signal transmission. Simulation results demonstrate an impedance bandwidth of 4.5% (5.0 GHz – 5.4 GHz), a return loss of -46 dB, and a peak gain of 8.8 dB, significantly improving signal reception and transmission efficiency. The antenna maintains a compact size of 50mm × 40mm × 1.27mm, making it lightweight and suitable for UAV integration. The proposed design offers a high-gain, wideband, and stable communication solution for UAV applications. Its enhanced performance ensures reliable data transmission, even in dynamic environmental conditions. This research contributes to the development of efficient UAV communication systems, making UAV networks more robust and effective in real- world operations.