Fractional-Order African Vulture Optimization-Based Beamforming for Planar Antenna Array

Beamforming plays a central role in enhancing the performance of communication systems; however, suppressing sidelobes in planar antenna arrays (PAAs) while maintaining a compact aperture remains a challenging nonlinear optimization problem. This article presents a two-dimensional (2D) beamforming synthesis framework for PAAs based on the Fractional-Order African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (FO-AVOA), with the objective of minimizing the peak sidelobe level (PSLL) through the joint optimization of amplitude excitations and element placements. The proposed method is benchmarked against established metaheuristic optimizers, including Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA), hybrid PSO–GSA (PSOGSA), the Runge–Kutta Optimizer (RUN), the Slime Mould Algorithm (SMA), Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO), and the baseline African Vulture Optimization Algorithm (AVOA). Simulation results demonstrate that the FO-AVOA, coupled with the proposed 2D formulation, yields superior sidelobe suppression relative to the competing approaches, achieving a lower PSLL with fewer radiating elements, thereby reducing array complexity and overall implementation cost. The obtained results validate the suitability of the FO-AVOA for solving PAA in the context of BFA beamforming and suggest the potential utility of the FO-AVOA for pattern synthesis for other array shapes in various communication systems.