S-Band Transmit/Receive Module Advancements for Efficient Radars (STRAFE)

The Navys E-2D advanced Hawkeye reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft plans to enhance existing radar capabilities by including an S-Band electronically-scanned array (ESA) aboard the platform. To support the range and signal fidelity needed to perform the surveillance, the equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) requires significant improvement over existing solutions, especially in power density.NuWaves proposes the S-Band Transmit/Receive Module Advancements for Efficient radars (STRAFE) project. Utilizing current gallium nitride (GaN) technology capable of generating hundreds of watts in a single RF transistor, NuWaves will leverage this power capability within a custom designed monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) housed within a highly capable T/R module. NuWaves proposes to evaluate several novel thermal management techniques in order to provide the required power density at the lowest recurring cost to the T/R module.