protect and perfect - L

RADOMES
RADOMES
protect and perfect
Electromagnetic transparency and structural integrity are the two key components
to consider when developing radome and antenna products that can perform in
military applications, satellite communications and extreme weather conditions
L-3 ESSCO
S32 Radome in Barajas, Madrid, Spain
In the sophisticated world of high-performance antenna
systems and the radomes that protect them, L-3 ESSCO
is second to none. Since the 1960s, when it pioneered
products that formed the sandwich radome market, the
company has grown into a worldwide supplier of ground-based,
shipboard and speciality radomes and accessories, as well as
state-of-the-art antennas and turnkey engineering solutions.
Acquired by L-3 Communications in 1998, L-3 ESSCO’s
facilities in Ayer, Massachusetts (Electronic Space Systems)
and Kilkishen, County Clare, Ireland (ESSCO Collins) design
and build products that balance two critical elements –
electromagnetic (EM) transparency and structural integrity. The
company’s engineers are among the most highly trained and
qualified in the world, with expertise in RF, structural, design,
composite, process, quality and environmental disciplines.
Collectively it is a global supplier to a demanding ATC
community, with products that perform in military, satellite
communications, extreme weather and other applications.
Sandwich radome
L-3 ESSCO’s SO35 Radome
in Prague, Czech Republic
102 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2014
L-3 ESSCO is known globally for its sandwich radome product
line, designed specifically to minimise transmission, reflection
and absorption losses in multi-panel radome geometries. The
panel-to-panel interfaces – or joints – of multi-panel designs
are the largest contributor to RF losses in a radome. L-3 ESSCO
is the only radome supplier that uses proprietary tuning grids
embedded into the overlapped joint area of the radome. This
reduces scattering from the panel joints. The panels are tuned to
frequencies such as L-, S-, C- and X-Band. Unlike the inwardturning joints used by the majority of manufacturers, L-3
ESSCO employs a flat, conformal joint design, preserving the
quality of such tuning by varying the incidence angle of the EM
wave received by the antenna across the radome’s surface.
L-3 ESSCO is also the only company to design a geometry
that forms a spherical shape using quasi-random panels,
minimising the variation of the radome’s EM distortion
parameters when compared with its competitors, which use
regular panels and flat-faceted panel geometries. This results in
AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2014 103.
radomes
S38 Radome in Valencia, Spain
of different weaves, resin ratios and curing abilities for its
products. The pre-impregnated materials chosen, which have
been used for many years in the company’s manufacturing
process, ensure consistency across radome production and,
more importantly, guarantee the proper thickness, delivering
superior RF performance.
L-3 ESSCO enjoys strong working partnerships with many
of the world’s leading radar prime contractors and global
ANS providers, including Thales, Raytheon, Indra, Intelcan,
Lockheed Martin, Eurocontrol, AENA, NATS, COCESNA and
the FAA, among others.
Worldwide deployment
S57 Radome in Johannesburg, South Africa
greatly improved performance levels for both single- and dualband applications. In fact no other radome type gets closer to
meeting the exacting performance standards of sandwich
radome systems.
In 1982 L-3 ESSCO took the industry by storm with the
introduction of its composite sandwich radome production line,
featuring a unique pre-impregnated, semi-automated process. It
was a vast improvement over the hand-laid technique (bucket
and brush), in which surface thickness cannot be verified and
often leads to EM degradation, heavier panels and surface
bubbling (blisters) due to non-consolidation of glass
reinforcement and cold curing.
Advanced materials
By comparison, L-3 ESSCO employs the latest advances in
composite materials via the pre-impregnated technology widely
used in the aerospace and Formula 1 industries. It works closely
with its material suppliers to get the best composition in terms
104 AIR TRAFFIC TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL 2014
Designed to operate in extreme conditions, L-3 ESSCO radomes
are in use from the Arctic to the Sahara, and in many remote
locations in between. Today there is an L-3 ESSCO radome in
virtually every country in the world where such equipment is
deployed, making it the preferred provider for protecting ATC
antennas across the globe. One reason for this, among many
others, is that L-3 ESSCO’s radomes withstand 300km/h winds
and temperatures from -50°C to +70°C, not to mention
combined ice and snow loads.
The company’s turnkey approach includes, but is not limited
to, towers, masts, cabins, fencing, civil works, uninterruptible
power supplies and generators. It is also able to install customersupplied antennas without connection or testing.
L-3 ESSCO is continuing to work with customers in Europe
to provide a radome product and accessories that are designed
and manufactured in compliance with CE Marking guidelines,
since its customers require this feature in their sales portfolios.
Most recently, L-3 ESSCO completed an extensive exercise in
Italy with Vitrociset to meet Italian country specific certification
requirements for L3-ESSCO’s sandwich radome products.
L-3 ESSCO radomes are designed for a useful life of 20 years
and the company controls the process from design through
manufacturing, including field installations, inspections, service
and repairs. Its fully qualified field-service personnel are at
home in even the world’s most hostile environments and are
capable of delivering a turnkey solution on-site. L-3 ESSCO has
several thousand radomes in the field around the world, and
with manufacturing facilities in the USA and in Europe it can
quickly and thoroughly satisfy the most challenging radome
needs for all its customers. v