Research progress on coating materials for aircraft radome

Radar serves as the “eye” of aircraft, playing a crucial role in aircraft guidance and thus necessitating protection by radomes. Given that radar components are primarily positioned at the aircraft’s nose and work in a complex environment, radome materials must exhibit high wave transparency, rain erosion resistance, impact resilience, and antistatic properties. However, the prevailing radome material, glass fiber reinforced plastic composites, falls short in terms of rain erosion resistance and antistatic performance. Rain erosion and electrostatic accumulation can disrupt radar signal transmission, ultimately compromising flight safety. Consequently, the application of rain-erosion-resistant and antistatic coatings emerges as an effective protective measure. This paper reviews the characteristics and current research status of aircraft radome coating systems globally and domestically, while also projecting the development and research directions of coating materials. Initially, the paper analyses the performance requirements for coatings based on the unique service environment of aircraft radomes. It then delves into the structural characteristics, protection mechanisms, and international research advancements of rain-erosion-resistant and antistatic coating systems. Domestic research into aircraft radome coating materials has a relatively late onset. These coatings have evolved from inelastic formulations to polyurethane elastic coatings, with further refinements and optimizations to the polyurethane resin enhancing weather resistance. In the realm of antistatic coatings, ongoing challenges include balancing electrical conductivity and dielectric properties while ensuring coating performance stability. Conclusively, the paper briefly analyzes the development key point of aircraft radome coating materials. It points out for future in-depth research focusing on three areas: the correlation between coating material properties and environmental factors, the damage and failure mechanisms of coating materials, and the compatibility of multifunctional coating materials.