Design and Performance Evaluation of a Wideband Conformal AVA on a Dielectric Cylinder for Airborne Applications

This paper presents the design and performance evaluation of a wideband conformal antipodal Vivaldi antenna (AVA) mounted on a dielectric cylinder for airborne applications in the S, C, and X bands (2-12 GHz). The planar design incorporates an exponential flare, rectangular slits (RS) for impedance matching at lower frequencies, and a parasitic elliptical patch (EP) for gain enhancement. The antenna is simulated on a Rogers substrate (RO4350B) with a dielectric constant of 3.5 and dimensions of $116 \times 124 \times 0.508$ mm
³
. Simulation results show excellent performance in terms of reflection coefficient, gain, and radiation pattern for both the planar and conformal antenna. Comparative analysis with existing literature demonstrates superior impedance matching, gain, and radiation pattern performance. The proposed antenna’s conformal nature and wideband capabilities make it suitable for airborne and defence applications.