Multibeam Antenna Systems placed on Aeronautical Platforms for Ubiquitous Satellite Communications

Reliable broadband connectivity for aeronautical platforms, including commercial aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and defense systems, is increasingly vital to modern communication infrastructure. As air travel, autonomous aviation, and airborne surveillance expand, satellite communication (SATCOM) systems must deliver seamless, high-data-rate links under demanding mobility conditions, including high platform speeds, rapidly changing elevation angles, Doppler shifts, and frequent beam or satellite handovers across GEO, MEO, and LEO constellations.Antenna array technologies sit at the core of meeting these operational demands. Phased arrays, active electronically steered antennas (AESA), reflectarrays, transmitarrays, metasurface-based arrays, and hybrid reflector-fed multibeam systems are enabling robust, flexible, and adaptive connectivity for airborne vehicles operating in dynamic, often contested, electromagnetic environments. Progress in array element design, mutual coupling reduction, wideband and multi-polarization operation, and low-profile conformal integration is expanding what is achievable on aerodynamically constrained platforms. Simultaneously, advances in beamforming network architectures, analog, digital, and hybrid, together with software-defined and reconfigurable beam-steering algorithms, are improving the agility, efficiency, and scalability of these systems.This Research Topic invites original research, reviews, and perspective articles exploring innovations in antenna array architectures, beam control strategies, calibration techniques, and system-level integration approaches that support the next generation of airborne SATCOM. We welcome contributions spanning array electromagnetics, RF front-end design, signal processing for beam management, and full-system validation, from theoretical modeling through prototyping and field demonstration.Topics of Interest include, but are not limited to:- Phased array and AESA design for mobile, aeronautical SATCOM terminals- Multibeam array architectures for aircraft, UAV, and HAPS platformsReflectarray, transmitarray, and metasurface-based array antennas for airborne links- Beamforming network implementations: analog, digital, and hybrid approaches- Software-defined, reconfigurable, and AI-assisted beam-steering algorithms- Wideband, multi-polarization, and multi-band array element design- Mutual coupling reduction and array calibration techniques- Low-profile, conformal, and aerodynamically compatible array integration- Array-level thermal, structural, and radome co-design challenges for flight platforms- Interference mitigation, sidelobe control, and frequency reuse strategies in dense beam environments- Beam tracking, satellite handover management, and latency reduction at the array/system interface- Array reliability, fault tolerance, and graceful degradation for safety-critical aviation use- Testing, measurement, and characterization methods for airborne array antennas- Applications across commercial aviation, UAV operations, HAPS networks, and military/defense platformsBy bringing together contributions on array electromagnetics, beamforming, and system integration, this Research Topic aims to advance the design and deployment of next-generation antenna arrays that enable resilient, high-throughput satellite connectivity for the full spectrum of aeronautical platforms. Topic editors: George A. Kyriacou, Theodoros Kaifas, Anastasios Koutinos, Constantinos Zekios Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83723/multibeam-antenna-systems-placed-on-aeronautical-platforms-for-ubiquitous-satellite-communications