Feature: Aerospace/defence
Three key considerations of aerospace and defence test
By Giulio Maria Campagnaro, Business Development Manager and Engineering and Technologies Team Leader (RF&µW), Anritsu EMEA
1. What are the needs of the aerospace and defence sector today that test and measurement instruments must address? Tere is a consolidated trend toward new frequency bands that meet several key needs in the Aerospace and Defence (A&D) industry. Using higher frequencies in the Ka-band (30-40GHz) shrinks the front end of the microwave transceiver modules used both for high-resolution radars and military communications. It also reduces the size and power consumption of the overall Tx/Rx chain. Such diversity of applications, however,
leads to the use of active phase array antenna systems, where the RF front- end architecture is embedded with the radiating elements. Tis means that connectorised cables are rarely available for connection to classical benchtop measurements. Tus, thoroughly testing these complex antenna systems with over-the-air (OTA) techniques becomes
22 May 2026
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
mandatory, for assuring a streamlined deployment of these technologies into challenging operative scenarios. In military-grade 5G, data rates are
increasing exponentially, where the FR2 frequency bands and other non- terrestrial-networks (NTNs) can be used, once sufficient modulation bandwidth is available. Even the baseband processing can now be integrated into the RF front- end architecture, reducing losses and moving the high-speed ADCs and DACs closer to the antenna in the transceivers. Tis enables direct digital conversion and DSP processing of RF very early in Tx/Rx signal chains. Considering this evolution, testing Gigasample ADCs and DACs becomes crucial. Another hot topic is represented by
the intensive deployment of drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Drones can be detected with acoustic,
optical and electromagnetic sensors. In this last case, spectrum analyzers can
continuously monitor the frequency spectrum and deliver data to an AI system. Tis is a cost-effective solution, suitable for mobile and stationary use. Te vision is bringing AI and machine
learning (ML) together. A “sensor” (spectrum analyzer) monitors the broadband spectrum and continuously streams baseband data (IQ data) via a high-speed medium into an AI/ML-based infrastructure. Te signal characteristics are recognised and used for detection, classification and alarming. Training is performed by sorting, labelling and curating RF data into libraries and models. For drone categorisation and
identification, Anritsu is partnering with companies that specialise in AI algorithms applied to spectrum data acquired by general purpose instruments; see Figure 1. Some relevant collaborations are targeting the MS2090A Field Master Pro, Anritsu’s flagship handheld signal analyzer, which
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