Armor embedded antennas for land vehicles

Through the army's Breakthrough Antenna Technology (BAT) Army Technology Objective - Research (ATO-R), S&TCD is pursuing to push the frontiers of antenna technology for the future warfighter. BAE Systems and the U.S. Army are developing antennas that are embedded into the armor of vehicles without impacting the armor's performance. Two main challenges drive the complexity of the design: 1. the dielectric properties of the armor material, and 2. the design of a radiating element with minimal impact to the armor structure. Measuring the dielectric properties of the armor material is necessary to employ accurate simulation models during the antenna design effort. Minimizing the impact to the armor structure is part of the larger goal of no degradation in ballistic performance of the armor due to the antenna integration.