Mirror antenna dual-band lightweight mirror design

The mirror antenna, which is sometimes called an inverse Cassegrain antenna, is in use in a number of modern airborne radar systems. Its design makes wide scans with moderate mirror movement possible. One major advantage of the mirror antenna over other types of antenna systems is related to the capability to support a practical implementation of a dual-band system. The major task in the development of a dual-band system is the design of the half-wave plate mirror which can provide the required 90 deg polarization twist at both bands. The present investigation is concerned with the theory, basic design, optimization, and fabrication of a lightweight dual-band mirror for the mirror-scan antenna.