Radiofrequency Area
The radiofrequency area is a unique player at the national level and collaborates closely with leading European entities in research and the provision of services for the electromagnetic characterisation of materials, antenna measurement, radar signature measurement and electromagnetic simulation, within the defence and aerospace sector, both private and public, national and international.
It has more than 50 years of experience in these fields and has a wide variety of facilities and laboratories dedicated to them in order to adapt to the needs of both the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the industry and national and international entities related to the activity. In addition, they enable you to participate in numerous research projects in these areas and collaborate with the most relevant actors in the sector.
The activity is grouped under the following areas of activity:
- Antenna measurement and radar signature laboratory
- Computational and Applied Electromagnetism Laboratory
ACTIVITIES
CAPABILITIES AND SERVICES
Radiofrequency Tests
Among the capabilities and services offered are:
- Measurement of radiation patterns, gain and antenna factor.
- Measurement of antenna PIRE.
- Measurement of S-parameters of microwave circuits and equipment.
- Measurement of radar cross section (RCS) of systems and platforms.
- Electromagnetic characterization of materials in radio frequency and microwave, including their radiation, dispersion and absorption coefficients.
- Extraction of electromagnetic parameters (permittivity, permeability and conductivity).
- Electromagnetic simulation using commercial software.
- Measurement of electromagnetic shielding according to ASTM 4935.
RESEARCH PROJECTS
The area has more than 20 years of experience in conducting research projects on electromagnetic characterisation of materials, antenna measurement and radar signature and electromagnetic simulation. It has traditionally participated in NATO research groups on issues related to these topics and currently maintains a fluid relationship with research groups at ONERA (France), DLR and Fraunhofer-FHR (Germany), NLR (Netherlands) and FOI (Sweden). In this regard, it participates in NATO Task Group SET-329 “Radar signature measurement and validation of a UCAV model”.
In relation to the electromagnetic characterisation of materials and electromagnetic shielding measurement, the area is currently participating in the projects "Scientific participation in ESA's ATHENA X-ray mission and technological contributions to its cryogenic instrument X-IFU (C2CC-ATHENA2020)‘ and ’Design, simulation and advanced characterisation of aerospace components manufactured by 3D printing of graphene-reinforced ceramics (AERORECORD-3D)", all of which are funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation. Related to this topic, it recently participated in the project “EM characterisation and testing of smart fuselages in unmanned aerial vehicles” (eSAFE-UAV), also funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and in the Ministry of Defence's COINCIDENTE 2020 programme as part of the “Modelling, characterisation and demonstration of novel RAS (GONDOLA)” project led by AIRBUS DS.
In addition, it has been involved in the EM characterisation of metal fabrics for the Large European Antenna (LEA) project funded by the European Union (EU) (H2020) and the design and EM characterisation of the planetary protection dome constructed from fibreglass composite material for the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensor, as well as the environmental protection element constructed using 3D printing techniques for the Raman laser spectrometer for the ExoMars 2020 mission.
It has successfully performed electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing and simulations in international projects. In the field of EM simulation, it has participated in the project “UAV-based innovative means for land and sea non-cooperative vehicle stop (AEROCEPTOR)” and in the project “High Intensity Radiated Fields Synthetic Environment (HIRF-SE)”, both funded by the EU (FP7 Programme). It has also participated in the projects “Numerical and experimental assessment of electromagnetic environmental effects in UAVs (UAVE3)” and “Numerical and experimental EM immunity assessment of UAV for HIRF and lightning indirect effects (UAVEMI)”.
Access protocol
INTA's RF Area is open to the entire scientific community and national and international industry..
Access to the services of this facility can be achieved in two ways:
- Scientific-technological collaboration: Proposals from the scientific community will be evaluated by INTA and established through a collaboration agreement.
- Service contracting: The provision of commercial technical services will be contracted through a proposal prepared according to the requirements, applying the corresponding rates.
The access protocol is as follows:
- Access request: Interested parties must submit a request by contacting the common service by email at
*areaRF@inta.es (Radio Frequency Area) o *caem-lab@inta.es (Laboratory), indicating:
- Name of the requesting entity.
- Contact information for the applicants.
- Description and objectives of the requested service or test. If a requirements document has been prepared, please attach it to the request.
- Planned dates.
- Evaluation: INTA will evaluate the application and interact with the applicant to clearly establish the scope of the requested work. If feasible, the corresponding modality will be used: Scientific-Technological Collaboration or Service Provision Contract.
- Acceptance of the Agreement or Offer: Depending on the access modality, INTA will prepare a collaboration agreement or an offer for the requested services.
- Scheduling: Once the collaboration agreement or service offer has been accepted and signed by the client (which may also require a contractual signature), a date for the execution of the work and access details will be agreed upon.
- Invoicing: In the case of a contract, invoicing will be processed according to the payment plan agreed upon and accepted by the applicant.
Rates
The rates for our services are established according to INTA's cost-based system, which, in accordance with Resolution 3D0/38153/2016, of September 1, establishes the public prices for scientific or technical work and other activities of the Agency.
*The fee schedule is a basic breakdown of the compensation for the services offered by the AGE (General State Administration). INTA's services are very diverse, so we will study the feasibility of any requested service or project based on the equipment and offer a service tailored to the needs of each user.
FACILITIES - RadioFrequency Tests
| Name | Main Features |
|---|---|
|
Compact anechoic chamber
|
Dimensions: L30.5 m x W18 m x H13 m Quiet zone: L6 m x W5.5 m x H5 m Antenna measurement, frequency range: 1.5 GHz to 40 GHz Radar signature, frequency range: 1.5 GHz to 40 GHz SNF, maximum antenna size: 8 m, frequencies: 0.4 GHz to 40 GHz |
|
Near spherical field |
Dimensions: L7 m x W4 m x H4 m Antenna measurement, frequency range: 0.4 GHz to 40 GHz |
|
Semi-open anechoic chamber |
Dimensions: L12 m x W12 m x H12 m Frequency range: 1 GHz to 40 GHz |
|
Open field antenna measurement range |
Frequency range: 80 MHz to 3 GHz |
|
BIANCHA anechoic chamber |
Dimensions: L7.1 m x W6.3 m x H3.9 m Frequency range: 800 MHz to 26.5 GHz Complete bi-static hemispheric system |
|
POLYBENCH |
Maximum sample dimensions: 500 mm x 500 mm Frequency range: 2.6 GHz to 40 GHz High-precision installation (< 0.05 dB) |
|
POLYBENCH mmW |
Maximum sample dimensions: 500 mm x 500 mm Frequency range: 50 GHz to 110 GHz High-precision installation (< 0.1 dB) |
|
MsJOINTS |
Maximum sample dimensions: 396 mm x 260 mm Measurements of S parameters: 9 kHz – 10 MHz Surface current measurement: 9 KHz – 1 MHz Study of the behaviour of materials and joints when subjected to lightning strikes |
|
MHPress |
Measurement of electromagnetic shielding effectiveness (SE) according to ASTM D4935 DC frame resistance measurement |
|
HPC computing cluster |
HPC cluster with 22 machines, each with 2 Xeon E5-2680 v3 @ 2.50 GHz computing processing units with 24 cores 2 display machines, each with 2 Xeon E5-2660 v3 @ 2.60 GHz computing units with 20 cores 1 workstation with 2 Intel Xeon 5220R 2.2 GHz computing units with 24 cores |
NAVANT/GALILEO antenna testing in compact field (AIRBUS DS)
Aeronautical radome testing at BIANCHA
UAV radar signature measurement in compact field (AERTEC)
Radar signature measurement in compact UCAV field by the STO-NATO TG-329 Group on ‘Radar Signature Measurement & Validation of a UCAV’
Contact - Radiofrecuency Area
Email*: areaRF@inta.es
Radiofrecuency Area Location in Google maps
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