Modern combat aircraft have major parts of the structure used as antenna for more surface area. I propose that we attach to the outside of these aircraft, under the skin, plates of phased array antenna operating thusly:

The plate would consist of many pixels of conductive metal each pixel able to connect to or disconnect from its neighbor by the control of a central computer. The central computer would decide the most efficient set of conducting surface area to connect for the current purpose: Different lengths, widths, depths, and locations would yield better results for different purposes. Efficient sending and receiving on an almost limitless range of bandwidths would be possible.

Bonus:It would also be possible to use the signals from these pixels to learn where around the aircraft the signal is strongest
Bonus 2:The spread of a signal could be more easily detected and multiple sources easily identified.
Bonus 3: many tiny antenna for intelligence gathering.
Bonus 4: large antenna for jamming and/or sending signals a long way.
Bonus 5: Signals could be sent from just the front or just the back of the aircraft to confuse incoming missiles.
Bonus 6: By sending information to an offboard supercomputer genetic algorithms could be used to design the perfect configuration for a particular purpose at a particular time.
Bonus 7: Easy spoofing of radar returns
-- Voice, Aug 08 2010

A primitive version is discussed http://ieeexplore.i...Farnumber%3D6256828
[Voice, May 30 2014]

Excellent. I was going to comment on the fact that there are no annotations, but...
-- MaxwellBuchanan, May 30 2014


Interesting. A Field-Programmable Antenna Array.
-- BunsenHoneydew, Jun 07 2014



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