A low-cost Cooperative Engagement Capability array antenna

As Technical Direction Agent for the Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), the Air Defense Systems Department has developed a low-cost planar antenna (LCPA) concept that provides for a major reduction in acquisition and life-cycle costs over the current CEC array antenna. The new design concept also provides enhanced shipboard integration flexibility and resolves DDG 51 installation challenges associated with the preexisting CEC antenna. The concept is a four-face planar array system that uses low-cost commercial-based array techniques. Several transmit and receive modules and a small array section have been designed, fabricated, and tested to demonstrate the efficacy of the LCPA concept. The concept has been transitioned to the CEC Design Agent, Raytheon Company, which is currently developing an LCPA design that is planned to yield the first production units in 2003 to support DDG 51 Flight II/IIa installations, and subsequently become the baseline CEC shipboard antenna.