Conformal Multi-Service Antenna Arrays: Hybrid in Situ Signal of Opportunity (SoOP) Calibration

Current day commercial aircrafts are equipped with numerous communications and navigation systems that are considered in isolation, leading to a stove-pipe design. Antennae supporting these services, protrude from the aircraft's body increasing drag and, as a result, fuel consumption. Therefore, we redesign deployment of the antennae to support multiple services with shared physical elements that conforms to the exterior of an aircraft to mitigate drag. Conformal arrays are, however, susceptible to structural changes in the fuselage that manifest as pointing errors and side lobe degradation. We propose an on-line calibration algorithm that leverages cooperative satellites in direct line-of-sight of the aircraft to optimally steer beams. These external calibration sources supplement an in situ source placed on the aircraft's tail. We establish models for potential sources of mismatch and demonstrate the hybrid calibration method via simulations.