Analyzing Aircraft Antenna Placement and Performance with Unified Modeling and Simulation

Reliable antenna performance is crucial for aircraft communication, navigation, and radar detection systems. However, an aircraft's structure can detune the antenna input impedance and obstruct radiation, creating a range of potential problems from a low-quality experience for passengers who increasingly expect connectivity while in the air, to violating legal requirements around strict compliance standards. Determining appropriate antenna placement during the design phase can reduce risk of costly problems arising during physical testing stages.

Engineers traditionally use a variety of CAD and electromagnetic simulation tools to design and analyze antennas. The use of multiple software tools, combined with globally distributed aircraft development teams, can result in challenges related to sharing models, transferring data, and maintaining the associativity of design and simulation results. To address these challenges, aircraft OEMs and suppliers are implementing unified modeling and simulation technology and processes, which enables them to combine their CAD model with multiphysics simulation within a secure, data-managed and collaborative computing environment. By using a common user interface with unified collaboration, data management, and design and simulation tools, development teams can create a virtual twin of the complete system, including the aircraft structure, electronics and antennas.