Australia's Photonics Co-operative Research Centre and Singa- pore's DSO National Laboratories have developed a mobile radar system that runs on light.
The low-cost wideband photonic phased-array antenna system, designed for aircraft, ships or land vehicles, can detect microwave signals like a radar dish, but without the need for a heavy rotating mechanism. "This means that the radar warning system can be lightweight, can be placed on the wingtip of an aircraft or on the mast of a ship, and can be designed to have a low profile," says team leader Dr Arnan Mitchell, from RMIT University.
Rather than electronics, the radar system uses photonics - light signals in optic fibres - to form and direct the radar beam, monitor a very wide microwave spectrum for signals, and process the data gathered.
The use of light means that the antenna can be placed up to 1km (0.6 miles) away from the computer that processes the signal rather than having the signal processing built into the same unit, which today's systems require. Furthermore, the radar system is more reliable than conventional systems as light-based transmissions are more immune to jamming from electronic warfare countermeasures. Photonics also supports a "very broadband" operation, says Mitchell.
Source: Flight International
