Phased array communication system providing airborne crosslink and satellite communication receive capability

A phased array antenna structure comprising:

• an n-element array;
• n number of transmit/receive modules operatively connected to respective elements forming said n-element array;
• a beam forming network operatively connected to said transmit/receive modules;
• and
• an antenna interface unit operatively connected to said beam forming network, and comprising respective transmit and receive interface circuits and a controller including a synthesizer and control circuit operatively connected to the beam forming network and respective transmit and receive interface circuits for generating synthesizer and control signals to the beam forming network and transmit and receive interface circuits and converting communications signals between a satellite downlink frequency band and a communications band used by Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) components for allowing a) air-to-air crosslink communications;
• b) satellite receive communications;
• and c) air-to-ground data link communications at the satellite downlink frequency band.

A method of communicating to and from an aircraft comprising the step of:

• selecting communications waveforms and protocol for one of a) air-to-air crosslink communications;
• b) satellite receive communications;
• and c) air-to-ground data link communications at a satellite downlink frequency band using a plurality of phased array antenna structures dispersed around an aircraft in a manner to provide substantially spherical antenna coverage around the aircraft, each phased array antenna structure having an n-element array, n-transmit/receive modules operatively connected to respective elements forming said n-element array, a beam forming network operatively connected to said n-transmit/receive modules, and an antenna interface unit operatively connected to said beam forming network for converting communications signals between a satellite downlink frequency band and a communications band used by Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) components;
• and
• receiving and transmitting communications signals within the communications band used by Communication, Navigation and Identification (CNI) components to and from said phased array antenna structures using a communications transceiver operatively connected to each antenna interface unit of each phased array antenna structure.