Introduction

Wideband double-ridged horn antennas are key candidates for air defense and electronic warfare systems owing to their wide bandwidth and linear polarization. Achieving a desirable beamwidth, compact dimensions, and stable performance across a wide band simultaneously remains a fundamental challenge. This study addresses the design and simulation of a wideband double-ridged horn antenna with ellipsoidal elements near the ridges, aimed at broadening the beamwidth over the 2–18 GHz band.

Method

Adouble-ridged horn antenna with horizontal and vertical linear polarizations was designed and simulated. To achieve wideband performance, ellipsoidal elements were employed near the ridges. The fabricated antenna has dimensions of 80 × 70 × 63 mm³. The antenna performance was evaluated through the return loss diagram (S11), radiation pattern, gain, and half-power beamwidth (HPBW), and a measurement uncertainty analysis was also performed.

Results

As the frequency increased, the antenna gain improved despite the fixed aperture dimensions. The HPBW in the azimuth and elevation planes was 90° and 60°, respectively, with a gain of approximately 3.5 dB at the edges. The S11 value remained below −10 dB across the entire band. With a 16 GHz bandwidth, the antenna is considered compact, and an expanded uncertainty of ±0.62 dB confirmed the acceptable accuracy of the results. The XPD was measured at 30 dB.

Conclusion

Given its wideband characteristics, appropriate gain, compact dimensions, high XPD, and high reliability, this antenna is suitable for tactical links, surveillance radars, electronic warfare, and C4ISR networks, and can serve as a key candidate for air defense communication infrastructure. The compliance of its characteristics with operational requirements confirms the applicability of the proposed design.