Fully Digital Phased Array Development for Next Generation Weather Radar

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is evaluating the feasibility of polarimetric phased array radar (PPAR) technology as a basis for its future U.S. operational meteorological radar network. A 10-cm wavelength PPAR - the Advanced Technology Demonstrator (ATD) - is a key asset for exploring associated operational benefits and evaluating solutions to key technical challenges. This paper discusses follow-on PPAR technology development to more fully meet NOAA's next-generation operational radar requirements. A digital-at-the-element array architecture is recommended to support desired scanning capability, and to maintain data quality commensurate with the current operational weather radar. We describe our development of tile-based PPAR prototype technology that exploits novel commercial-off-the-shelf microwave processing technology to meet NOAA's future requirements. We conclude with an outlook for integration, test, refinement and documentation of a 2-panel prototype of this digital PPAR.