New Delhi. In order to reduce complexity, costs and efforts for TRM testing, Rohde & Schwarz concentrates on test and measurement solutions to maximise the performance of AESA designs with highest precision instruments and automation of complex test scenarios.
Modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars are a strong focal point of the global aerospace
and defense industry. The performance of state-of-the-art AESA radar systems depends strongly on the
performance of the individual transmit-receive-module (TRM) assembled in the antenna array. Rohde &
Schwarz offers new test and measurement solutions for TRM performance validation, enabling the customer
to maximize their radar system capabilities.
Typical TRM test cases can be covered with a single Rohde & Schwarz network analyzer as a turnkey
solution, such as the R&S ZNA. If higher performance such as the pulsed noise figure is required, the R&S
FSW signal and spectrum analyzer is added to the setup. When combined with the integrated calibration
routine, this simplifies the setup, ensuring full accuracy and high repeatability. Users benefit from reduced
test procedure complexity and a minimized cabling assembly.
The R&S TS6 TRM test library optimizes Rohde & Schwarz test equipment for top speeds, in combination
with fast control handover. Due to fast frequency sweeps and multiple measurements within one pulse, the
number of required TRM state changes is reduced and overall test time minimized. With the R&S ZVAXTRM signal conditioning unit, all tests run automatically without interaction, including port multiplexing.
The calibration routine in the R&S TS6 TRM test library is a special feature. It collects all the calibration
requirements from the test and runs an optimized precise calibration. The support of multiport calibration
units enables the efficient calibration of devices under test (DUTs) with many ports.
This combination of a simplified test setup with a high degree of automation ensures reliable and reproducible measurements by a scalable solution. It offers a variety of use cases, from manual testing of components to complete module characterization in development and to automated production testing.
As time is of the essence, Rohde & Schwarz has developed solutions which reduce the number of parallel
running systems during production by their efficiency. The R&S TS6 TRM test library, together with the R&S
TS6710 TRM radar test system, deliver the fastest possible speeds for TRM testing, in combination with a
fast handover between measurement and device programming. A typical test time for a complete TRM
characterization can be reduced from hours, required by the legacy TRM test systems, to only a few minutes.
The parameters of TRM designs are radar specific and are considered confidential. Each TRM must be
controlled by a specific interface, protocol and trigger for testing. The R&S TS6 TRM test library has an open
software interface for TRM control, which makes it possible that the whole test configuration can be carried
out locally. This also allows faster on-site adaptations and optimizations.
An efficient option is the R&S Compact TSVP test system versatile platform with flexible and fast control interfaces, plus digital and analog measurements. This configuration enables very short test times in setups, without any field-programmable gate array (FPGA) programming.
