Multifunction Phased Array Radar Advanced Technology Demonstrator Nearfield Test Results

Since 2007, MIT Lincoln Laboratory (LL) has been developing low-cost phased array panel technology in support of the Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) program. Over the last decade, LL has teamed with MACOM to develop an S-band, 64-element dual-polarization (pol) panel with a peak radiated power of 6W per element per pol. The 3rd generation design of this panel has been used to populate the MPAR Advanced Technology Demonstrator (ATD), a 4m-diameter, 76-panel, fully polarimetric AESA radar. LL completed calibration and testing of the ATD at the nearfield chamber test facility in Lexington, MA in May of 2018, and deployed the system to the National Weather Radar Testbed (NWRT) at the National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL) in Norman, OK. Initial Operating Capability (IOC) is scheduled for mid-2019.
The ATD will be NSSL’s primary research asset in investigating the use of planar phased array antennas for polarimetric weather surveillance. This paper summarizes the technology development of the ATD, and presents its measured performance in nearfield testing and initial testing at the NWRT. Included in the results are figures of merit that are particularly relevant to weather detection: sensitivity, pointing accuracy, beam matching, and cross-polarization ratio.