HVS proposes to demonstrate the feasibility of a new generation of antenna, conformal to a UAVs that exploits Printed Fractal Antennas. This will be a compact and lightweight solution to the Army's requirement of wideband antennas for UAVs. This work is an extension of the research being carried out at the Center for the Engineering of Electronic & Acoustic Materials (CEEAM) at the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) on printed fractal antennas (patent pending). HVS developed the automated antenna characterization system in this regard. CEEAM/PSU is identified as a subcontractor in this proposal. HVS now proposes to improve the performance of such antennas in order to satisfy the requirements of this solicitation with respect to output power and frequency band of operation. The advantage of the fractal antenna technology is that it is very wideband, VSWRs of better than 2.5, and high gain. The size of such antennas will be reduced down to 3"x3" by using high dielectric constant substrates. A common hardware kit will be used for accommodate the antenna suite to cover the entire frequency range of 2 MHz to 40 GHz. HVS will develop and test an array of antennas for the Phase I effort and establish guidelines for their efficient production and quality control during Phase II. These fractal patch antennas have a lot of military as well as commercial applications. They can be used in collision avoidance systems for use in automobiles. They would be a valuable technology for the communication industry. They will also be useful for integration with wearable and other mobile computers and communication devices.
