Design and Performance of the Icepod LC-130 Deep and Shallow Radar Sounders

This paper describes the design and operation of two radar systems developed for the Icepod, a 2.5m long cylindrical sensor housing, 60cm in diameter built on a metal frame clad with fiber-glass. The pod which attaches to the outside of an LC-130 contains three compartments each roughly 60cm diameter by 45cm long plus a cone fore and aft. Each compartment can house a variety of sensors. Input power is +28Vdc provided from the main aircraft bus and an in-line UPS. Power is filtered and divided down for supply to individual sensors. Heat is provided to sensors and sensor components via heating pads, monitored and controlled from inside the aircraft. The pod is connected to the rear troop door of a New York Air National Guard LC-130 by an arm that can be raised for take-off and lowered for deployment. The arm is attached to a door plug that is fitted into the starboard troop door frame located behind the starboard wing. Figure 1 shows the Icepod installed onto the aircraft.