Patent ID: 6967615

Claim:
The electronic warfare method of determining a location of a distant electromagnetic energy emitter with respect to an aircraft, an aircraft carrying a plurality of segregated electronic warfare antennas and receiving signals from said emitter via an extended emitter to aircraft path and said plurality of antennas, said method comprising the steps of: determining an angle of arrival vector for signals received at said aircraft and said aircraft carried electronic warfare antennas from said distant electromagnetic energy emitter; said step of determining an angle of arrival vector including pre calibrating selected angle of arrival accuracy-determining dimensional and location characteristics of said plurality of electronic warfare antennas using known standard signals of compatible frequency with that of said distant electromagnetic energy emitter signals; said pre calibrating of selected angle of arrival accuracy-determining dimensional and locational characteristics of said plurality of electronic warfare antennas including calibration to a phase center location in each of said electronic warfare antennas; and deriving from said angle of arrival vector a range and angle vector connecting said distant electromagnetic energy emitter with a calibrated location of said electronic warfare antennas.