KU-BAND BELLY RADOME FOR P-3 AIRCRAFT


APPLICATION:

Military. Ku-Band Belly Radome for Naval Research Lab’s P-3 aircraft.

CHALLENGE:

Produce a Ku-Band Radome for the P-3 Aircraft. Qualify to Navy’s strict flight safety and damage tolerance requirements. The size requirement of the hardware was 6’ diameter x 3’ deep.

SOLUTION

We executed a full-service structural analysis, material property testing and qualification determination and documentation, in addition to RF design and the related tooling. We fabricated the tooling and then produced the aircraft's belly radome. We coordinated with our customer, the US Navy, and a 3rd contractor to ensure the qualification approach, structural analysis and aircraft interface met the needs of all parties.

Image of manufacturing area with a large dome-shaped radome in the center, elevated on wood posts. A technician is wearing protective gear and is spray painting the large belly radome with an off-white coating.
Two technicians holding up the very large and completed Ku-band belly radome in a manufacturing bay.
Image of the P-3 aircraft with a square drawn around the ku-band belly radome to highlight its location. There is an insert image with a close up of the radome.