UK SBS SSAPS18140 CASTR System Validation Monopulse Detailed Design Study

Contract summary

Industry

• Radar - 35722000

• Engineering design services - 71320000

Location of contract

Any region

Value of contract

£69,662

Procurement reference

SSAPS18140

Published date

16 October 2018

Closing date

28 September 2018

Contract start date

1 October 2018

Contract end date

28 February 2019

Contract type

Service contract

Procedure type

Single tender action (below threshold)

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

No

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No

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Description

***PLEASE NOTE THIS IS AN AWARD NOTICE, NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION***
The STFC Chilbolton observatory operates a 25m prime focus reflector antenna in a meteorological radar system. There are increasing requirements to upgrade the radar to enable satellite tracking by implementing monopulse operation in addition to maintaining the weather radar functionality; this requires a new feed to be developed.
The objective of this study is to devise a practical monopulse feed structure given a limited available space around the current feed. The available space may be approximately bounded by a cylinder of diameter 450 mm and depth approximately 1500 mm. The feed should feature dual orthogonal linear polarisations in the sum patterns and the difference patterns sets in azimuth and elevation.
The reflector antenna is a non-offset prime focus antenna with dish diameter of 25m and f/D ratio of 0.36.
The antenna, including feed structure, is intended for both transmit and receive, with a maximum transmit mean power (input to the structure) of 800 W and a maximum transmit peak power of 100 kW. Current frequency of operation is 3.0765 GHz, but there is a desire to operate between 2.7 GHz and 3.5 GHz.
The contractor is required to:
- Identify the optimal feed system to meet the above requirements and simulate the field patterns for the sum beam and error beams from the feed.
- Simulate the feed with the 25m diameter reflector and show the resulting sum beam and error beam patterns and gains. This shall include calculations of the output signals from the receive ports for targets off boresight to at least ±0.1 degrees, ideally out to the point where the sum beam is 10dB down on the boresight gain.
- Fabricate a prototype of the feed elements.
- Test and the measure results compared with the simulations. Any differences shall be described and where the performance does not meet the requirements an approach to correct the design shall be suggested.

This contract has been awarded in alignment with PCR 32 (2) (a)where no tenders, no suitable tenders, no requests to participate or no suitable requests to participate have been submitted in response to an open procedure or a restricted procedure, provided that the initial conditions of the contract are not substantially altered and that a report is sent to the Commission where it so requests;

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Award information

Awarded date

28 September 2018

Contract start date

1 October 2018

Contract end date

28 February 2019

Total value of contract

£69,662

This contract was awarded to 1 supplier.

Steatite Limited

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About the buyer

Address

Polaris House
North Star Avenue
SWINDON
SN21FF
England

Email

Professionalservices@uksbs.co.uk

Website

www.uksbs.co.uk