A Dual Frequency Blade Antenna Enabling UAV-Based Operations in ADS-B and 5G Environments

Driven by the recent enhancements provided by Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and the latest developments in 5th Generation (5G) networks supported by Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs), this paper describes the design of an “all-in-one” SMA coaxial fed compact blade antenna with dual frequency characteristics for broadband applications on board of UAVs. A single antenna element is designed using CST Microwave Studio software which shows a dual frequency broadband characteristic, when compared to traditional blade antennas, covering the 1.030 – 1.090 GHz and the 3.4 – 3.8 GHz ranges thanks to an oblique side and a ‘C’ shaped cavity within the radiation element. The designed antenna is simulated on an ideal ground plane first and then extended to a bent ground plane. The results are compared and discussed in terms of return loss, bandwidth, gain and radiation pattern. These results show a lightweight antenna with a low profile and a simple structure that can find numerous applications in various airborne wideband communication systems, suiting future UAV-based networks for 5G and beyond while being perfectly compliant with the ongoing ADSB based Detect-And-Avoid (DAA) technologies for integration of UAVs in Unmanned Aerial Traffic Management (UTM).