Subarray Channel Calibration and Performance Analysis for Digital Beam-Forming

This paper describes the subarray channel configuration and calibration method for airborne AESA radar antenna. AESA radar demonstrator was designed and implemented for the digital beam-forming performance test of the 12 channel subarray structure. Magnitude and phase difference can be exist between the manufactured subarray channel. In this paper, calibration method for the subarray difference error was suggested. We measured digital monopulse slope in the subarray channel and verified the channel calibration effect. To verify the subarray channel operation, digital monopulse channel was compared with analog monopulse channel performance. AESA radar demonstrator was tested in the ground far field test range. Emulated single target was generated to test the detection and tracking performance of the demonstrator with the same waveform and search pattern. We verified that the detection and tracking performance of the 12 subarray digital monopulse channel was similar with the conventional analog monopulse channel. Also, ABF(Adaptive Beam-Forming) function for the sidelobe jammer was tested and effective operation was verified.