Design and development of the optical control network active phased array radar

Abstract

Active phased array radars for the atmospheric research have various advantages such as full beam agility in 360°, improved signal-to-noise ratio and improved sensitivity. These radars have distributed transmit–receive modules feeding to the individual antenna system in the antenna array field. In order to control and monitor the field-located transmit–receive modules from centralized radar controller which will be located few hundred meters away from the field, control signals plays an important role in controlling the radar subsystems. Earlier generation radars used electrical cables to transfer such type of signals, where signal speed and bandwidth are limited. In addition, the electromagnetic interference also affects the transmit and receiving signals. To overcome these problems, a new technical approach has been developed over optical interface for active phased array radar. In this paper, we present the design and development of the optical control signal network for 53 MHz active phased array radar. The design details, component selection and the link budget calculations are explained in detail and the test results are provided.