Antenna Measurement Drone for Over-the-Horizon Radar

An antenna measurement drone was recently integrated by Defence Research and Development Canada to verify the performance of an over-the-horizon radar (OTHR) transmit array. This solution only uses off-the-shelf components and is very economical compared to alternative options. A calibration technique is also proposed and verified, making it possible for the drone to measure the phase of the OTHR array element patterns. These phase measurements are also useful to identify issues with individual array elements. Very accurate measured beampatterns are presented and are compared with theoretical predictions.