A low-profile frequency- and pattern-reconfigurable metantenna for UAV joint RadCom systems

To address the specific requirements of antennas in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) joint radar-communication (RadCom) systems, a novel low-profile reconfigurable metantenna with the capability of frequency and pattern reconfiguration is proposed in this paper. The proposed antenna consists of a metasurface layer with 3 × 3 square unit cells and a simple feeding network with two pairs of PIN diodes. Specifically, the designed metantenna has a low profile of 0.064 λ₀ (λ₀ is the free space wavelength at 5.5 GHz). And measured results show that, for the broadside radiation mode, the −10 dB operating bandwidth is about 12.1 %, ranging from 5.05 to 5.7 GHz with a maximum gain of 8.9 dBi. For the conical radiation mode, the −10 dB operating bandwidth is about 21.9 %, ranging from 5.88 to 7.33 GHz with a maximum gain of 6.83 dBi. Given its excellent radiation performance, the metantenna designed for UAV joint RadCom systems holds significant research significance and value in the field of multifunctional reconfigurable antennas.