Optimum Placement of DF Antenna Elements for Accurate DOA Estimation in a Harsh Platform Environment

This paper presents a systematic approach to the optimum placement of direction finding (DF) antennas in a harsh platform environment. A circular array with omni-directional elements is considered for azimuthal direction of arrival (DOA) estimation based on the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm. The element positions are optimized by the use of a genetic algorithm (GA) in conjunction with the FEKO electromagnetic simulator. The proposed approach is first tested with a generic platform shape. It is then extended to a more realistic military aircraft model with a strong scattering object. The optimized results show a significant performance improvement over the uniform circular array in both platform environments.