1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and in particular to antennas for aircraft. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for mounting antennas to aircraft.
2. Background
Aircraft often employ antennas for various purposes. The antennas may be used to exchange communications, radar systems, or for other suitable functions for the aircraft. These antennas may include satellite communications antennas such as phased array antennas, radar antennas, and other suitable types of antennas.
These antennas are often covered by enclosures that protect the antenna. These enclosures may be weatherproof and may take the form of a radome.
A radome provides an aerodynamic fairing and enclosure for frequency band antenna assemblies in manners that may satisfy specified electrical, aerodynamic, structural, environmental, and interface requirements. A radome is transparent to the signals that may be transmitted or received by the antenna. The radome is often configured to protect the antenna from weather conditions and other environmental conditions, such as bird strikes and lightning, which may be encountered during use of the antenna on the aircraft. Further, the radome also may conceal or hide the antenna from view.
Currently, the radome and the mounting system for the antenna in an antenna system are designed for particular aircraft and a particular antenna. These designs take time and expense. Designing a new radome and mounting system for a new satellite antenna may be more expensive and may take more time than desired. For example, a new radome and mounting system for a satellite antenna may take years to design, test, and certify by relevant agencies. This type of effort and cost for antenna systems adds to the time and expense of manufacturing aircraft. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.