Cooled Ka-Band Antenna for ICBM Maneuvering Reentry Vehicles

Arcjet test model of a convection & film-cooled Ka-band antenna prior to testing at the USAF Arnold Engineering Development Center

Micro Cooling Concepts' employees developed a concept for integrating the thermal protection system of a reentry vehicle terminal fix sensor antenna with the antenna itself. This particular TFS antenna operated at Ka-band, and was thus more sensitive to reentry effects than a lower frequency antenna. The cooling concept was formulated to minimize the vulnerability of the antenna's performance to the reentry environment. In this design, a slotted waveguide antenna is integrally cooled by incorporating convection cooling passages in the waveguide walls, and adding transpiration cooling slots on the antenna surface. The design was thermally tested at an AEDC arc heater at an incident heat flux of 1250 W/cm².

The photos below show images of a test model before, during, and after arcjet testing.