Low-Profile Conformal UWB Antenna for UAV Applications

This article presents a new design of an ultra-wideband conformal antenna for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications. The antenna is a low-profile structure which is very suitable to diminish aerial vehicle drag problem. The design utilizes Rogers Duroid 5880LZ material with dimensions of 29 mm × 39 mm. The measurement results show an ultrawideband performance of the S
₁₁
<; -10dB from 2.9 GHz to 15.9 GHz. A Y-rounded shape achieves this frequency range with a parasitic circular element at the center of the structure. The acceptable radiation pattern performance is until 10.1 GHz, and the system fidelity factor is SFF > 0.9 in the maximum radiation. The proposed antenna was simulated and measured to test its performance when it is mounted on an UAV model.