Photonic feedback control for radar antennas

A feedback control network based on photonic sensors has been exploited to increase resiliency of large phased arrays for radar and space applications has been proposed. The sensor network is embedded in the antenna array front-end such to provide a a real-time control of the failures/calibration errors of system components. The feedback system dynamically acts on the weights of the Beam Forming Network thanks to accurate and effective synthesis methods, allowing minimizing the mismatch between the actual pattern and the reference one. Preliminary results concerning the overall system design and the capability to accurately correct undesired failure are reported.