1 Reducing Antenna Visual Signature Using Meta - Materials

The current as well as planned family of Army vehicles requires multiple antennas to meet the growing communications requirements and therefore exhibit a significantly large visual signature. Antenna size is dictated by frequency and the lower the frequency, the larger the antenna. At VHF and UHF frequencies, the primary military tactical communication bands, antennas have a significant visual signature. The visual signature exhibited by these antennas increases the vulnerability of the platforms. Low profile and conformal antenna technologies have a great potential to reduce or even eliminate antenna visual signatures thereby having a significant effect on vehicle survivability. In this paper, we propose a technique for significantly reducing the antenna visual signature. This technique involves printing the antenna on a high Reactive Impedance Surface (RIS) permittivity substrate or Meta-Material. We have chosen the UHF Enhanced Position Location Radio System (EPRLS) AS3449 antenna, a 1-meter whip structure as a baseline for this research. The proposed technique uses known patch antenna geometries as the antenna radiation elements with a substantially reduced signature while retaining the radiation characteristics of the EPLRS antenna. We present a computer model of the antenna with computer simulation results along with the antenna prototype with the experimental results.