Open-sleeve Dipole Antenna for an Airborne VHF/UHF Ice Sounding and Imaging Radar*

A simple, ultrawideband, and high gain VHF/UHF open-sleeve dipole antenna and array for airborne ice measuring radar are presented. To satisfy the desired bandwidth of 300 MHz and realized gain of 10 dBi or higher in the frequency range of 170 and 470 MHz, the geometry and dimensions of the antenna are optimized under the real aircraft wing structure. The simulation results show that the 4-element antenna array having a dipole length of 720 mm, a parasitic element length of 280 mm, a separation between dipole and a parasitic element of 64 mm, and separation between antenna elements of 640 mm satisfies the desired bandwidth and gain requirements.