QuadSAT has successfully completed tests, which demonstrated QuadSAT’s RF-testing drone’s ability to test and validate radar system performance at the site where the radar is deployed. The test course was supported by Terma.
The aim of the actual project was to determine whether the QuadSAT solution, originally made for testing satellite antennas, could be used for on-site validation of radar systems.
For the purpose of the demonstration, two radar systems were used. One deployed on land and one at the coast. QuadSAT measured the radar systems to validate the simulations done by Terma showing how the radar systems are affected by multipath lobing, such as reflections from ground and water.
“At Terma, we continuously scan the industry for innovative new companies with technology that can improve and add to existing processes.” Preben Schmidt Nielsen, Senior Specialist, Innovation Lab, Discovery & Incubation at Terma A/S, explains. “Working with QuadSAT has been a great process and the innovation height of their system is impressive”.
QuadSAT has developed the first system that can provide insights from on-site measurements of radars in its operational environment anywhere in the world. This enables a wide range of use-cases that can assist in ensuring radar system performance in a way that has not been possible before. Use-cases could be measuring the effect of buildings and topography surrounding a radar, or even how the radome covering the radar antenna might change characteristics over time.
“Tests of systems performed in the radar’s operational environment add an additional layer of understanding to the computer simulations and laboratory-generated measurements of radar performance. We, therefore, see QuadSAT’s system as a valuable addition to our current methods of ensuring the performance of radars manufactured by Terma.” Morten Østergaard Pedersen, Senior Specialist, Radar Architect at Terma A/S, explains.
Joakim Espeland, Cheif Executive Officer at QuadSAT adds: “Working with Terma is really important for us. Terma is leading the way in Danish Aerospace and Defense industry and we are happy and proud that the team sees the innovativeness and value of our system.”
QuadSAT’s solution is already available as a service to operators and antenna manufacturers. It will be available as a commercial product in Q1 2021, making antenna testing and verification cost-efficient and accessible.
Antenna elevation pattern measurements. QuadSAT’s result is shown in blue and the simulated propagation factor is shown in red. The effect of multipath lobing is clearly seen as oscillations in both the measured and simulated result.
