Missile base mounted microstrip antennas

Proof of the feasibility of aft mounting low-profile antennas on reentry vehicles is presented. This is an application of state of the art antenna hardware. Aft mounting presents the best reentry environment to antenna hardware, and its practicality has been demonstrated. Microstrip antenna principles can be used to produce very rugged antennas. Their low profile reduces many interface, mechanical, and survival problems. The pattern coverage for these vehicles must be toward the fore direction. This type of pattern requires an interaction between the vehicle and the antenna when the antenna is effectively shadowed from that direction. This paper describes the results obtained by actual experimental hardware. Contoured elements were used, as were foreshortened elements. These elements demonstrated ability to be fit around other aft equipment. The versatility of these elements were further demonstrated by tailoring them for two different types of coverage to accommodate different vehicle operational requirements.