Radiation Pattern Synthesis for Monopulse Radar Applications With a Reconfigurable Transmitarray Antenna

We investigate here the capabilities of a 400-element reconfigurable transmitarray antenna to synthesize monopulse radiation patterns for radar applications in X-band. The generation of the sum (Σ) and difference (A) patterns are demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally for broadside as well as tilted beams in different azimuthal planes. Two different feed configurations have been considered, namely, a single focal source and a four-element focal source configuration. The latter enables the simultaneous generation of a Σ- and two A-patterns in orthogonal planes, which is an important advantage for tracking applications with stringent requirements in speed and accuracy.