NRC Dual-frequency Airborne Radar for Atmospheric Research

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC), in cooperation with ProSensing Inc., is currently developing a state-of-the-art dual frequency airborne radar system for atmospheric and flight safety research for its Convair-580 research aircraft. The NRC Airborne W and X-band (NAWX) radar system will have polarimetric and Doppler capabilities at both wavelengths and will switch electronically between zenith, nadir and side looking antennas. Using a motorized reflector plate, the zenith W-band antenna will also be able to scan its beam 180 degrees from zenith to nadir in a plane perpendicular to the flight path and ±35 degrees fore and aft, to provide dual-Doppler capability in the side and nadir directions at W-band.

The NAWX radar system will have the following capabilities: o Pulse compression and frequency hopping capability at W-band for improved sensitivity and range and temporal resolution, o Space qualified W-band tube with1.9 kW peak power and 3% duty cycle, designed for the CLOUDSAT mission, o Electronic switching at both frequencies, allowing near-simultaneous sampling of the atmosphere in three planes along the flightline using six antennas, o Innovative design incorporating NRC-developed INS-GPS integrated navigation system for real-time Doppler correction , and o Synchronized operation and data collection for dual-wavelength analysis.

This poster will highlight the NAWX system capabilities and will show data from the ground tests that we expect to conduct in August and September of 2005.