Investigations on the Wideband Characteristics of a Cylindrical Conformal U-slot Loaded Microstrip Patch Antenna for X-Band Airborne Applications.

A U-slot located symmetrically at the centre of the patch has been utilized to enhance the patch antenna's operating bandwidth compared to the standard conventional patch. The operating frequency range of the circumferential patch antenna is from 8.61 to 11.43 GHz, while the axial patch covers the frequency range 8.71 to 11.33 GHz (covering X band). The antenna shows excellent gain with minimal variation in both E and H-planes across the operating frequency range. Moreover, the antenna achieves less than −10 dB sidelobe levels in both E and H-planes across all frequencies and configurations. The co and cross-polarization plots are also depicted to show the excellent polarization purity of the antenna for the planar and cylindrical conformal configurations. The antenna may be suitable for airborne applications where the conformability to the Arial host body is of prime importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]