PERANCANGAN HOUSING ANTENA SATELLITE COMMUNICATION MODEL DOME PESAWAT PIPER SENECA-V DI POLITEKNIK PENERBANGAN INDONESIA CURUG// DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DOME -TYPE SATELLITE COMMUNICATION ANTENNA HOUSING FOR PIPER SENECA-V AIRCRAFT AT INDONESIAN CIVIL AVIATION POLYTECHNIC

Dalam era digital, kebutuhan akan akses konektivitas yang andal menjadi hal yang tidak terpisahkan dari operasional penerbangan modern. Sistem Satellite Communication (SATCOM) telah banyak diterapkan pada pesawat berbadan besar untuk mendukung layanan konektivitas, namun penerapannya pada pesawat berbadan kecil, termasuk armada milik Politeknik Penerbangan Indonesia Curug (PPIC), hingga saat ini belum tersedia, sementara kebutuhan konektivitas pada sektor penerbangan terus meningkat. Kondisi ini mendorong dikembangkannya inovasi berupa antena microstrip berprofil rendah sebagai penerima SATCOM melalui kolaborasi antara Program Studi Teknik Navigasi Udara yang berfokus pada perancangan antena, dan Program Studi Teknik Pesawat Udara yang berperan dalam merancang housing pelindung antena berbentuk dome. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan lokasi pemasangan yang optimal, merancang housing antena microstrip berbasis konsep dome, serta menguji kelayakan aerodinamikanya, mengingat desain housing tidak hanya berfungsi sebagai pelindung, tetapi juga harus memenuhi persyaratan aerodinamika, struktur, dan transparansi sinyal elektromagnetik. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah Penelitian dan Pengembangan (Research and Development/R&D). Penentuan lokasi pemasangan dilakukan melalui triangulasi data yang meliputi studi literatur, observasi langsung pada pesawat Piper Seneca-V, Learjet, dan TBM 700, serta wawancara dengan tenaga ahli di bidang struktur dan perawatan pesawat, dengan mempertimbangkan lima aspek utama yaitu aerodinamika dan hambatan udara, kinerja sinyal dan line of sight, struktur dan kekuatan fuselage, interferensi dan keselamatan sistem avionik, serta kemudahan maintenance. Proses perancangan desain housing dilakukan menggunakan metode VDI 2221, mulai dari identifikasi kebutuhan, penentuan konsep, hingga pengembangan geometri akhir, dengan material komposit dipilih sebagai material utama karena mampu menyeimbangkan kekuatan struktur, massa yang ringan, dan transparansi sinyal elektromagnetik.
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Pengujian kelayakan dilakukan melalui simulasi Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) menggunakan ANSYS Fluent untuk mengevaluasi distribusi tekanan, kecepatan aliran udara, streamline, vortex, drag force, wall shear stress, dan skin friction coefficient. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa upper fuselage merupakan lokasi pemasangan yang paling sesuai karena memberikan line of sight terbaik terhadap satelit, hambatan udara yang relatif rendah, akses maintenance yang mudah, serta jarak aman terhadap sistem avionik. Berdasarkan hasil tersebut, dikembangkan dua varian desain housing berbahan komposit, yaitu Tipe 1 Flat Top Housing dan Tipe 2 Cambered Housing. Housing Tipe 1 memiliki dimensi panjang 240,0 mm, lebar maksimum 120,6 mm, dan tinggi dome 57,2 mm, sedangkan Tipe 2 memiliki panjang 240,0 mm, lebar maksimum 110,7 mm, dan tinggi dome 45,0 mm, dengan ketebalan material 5 mm pada kedua tipe, dirancang untuk mengakomodasi antena microstrip array 32 elemen berdimensi 150 mm × 80 mm, dengan sistem mounting menggunakan dua buah fastener. Simulasi CFD menunjukkan bahwa Tipe 1 menghasilkan drag coefficient sebesar 5,5618 dan drag force sebesar 3,4066 N, sedangkan Tipe 2 menghasilkan drag coefficient sebesar 6,9336 dan drag force sebesar 4,2958 N, atau sekitar 26,1% lebih tinggi dibandingkan Tipe 1. Peningkatan hambatan pada Tipe 2 disebabkan oleh munculnya fenomena vortex shedding yang membuat aliran wake menjadi tidak simetris, bukan oleh gesekan permukaan, karena nilai wall shear stress dan skin friction coefficient Tipe 2 justru sedikit lebih rendah dibandingkan Tipe 1. Berdasarkan keseluruhan hasil pengujian, kedua desain housing dinyatakan layak secara aerodinamika untuk dipasang pada upper fuselage pesawat Piper Seneca-V, dengan Tipe 1 Flat Top Housing sebagai konfigurasi yang lebih direkomendasikan karena menghasilkan gaya hambat total yang lebih rendah dan aliran wake yang lebih stabil dibandingkan Tipe 2 Cambered Housing. Penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi referensi awal dalam pengembangan desain antena dan housing antena, khususnya pada penerapan antena microstrip untuk SATCOM pesawat berbadan kecil, serta menjadi dasar bagi penelitian lanjutan pada tahap manufaktur, instalasi, dan pengujian eksperimental berupa ground test maupun flight test.

In the digital era, the demand for reliable connectivity has become an integral part of modern aviation operations. Satellite Communication (SATCOM) systems have been widely implemented on large aircraft to support communication and connectivity services. However, such systems have not yet been installed on small aircraft, including the fleet operated by the Politeknik Penerbangan Indonesia Curug (PPIC), despite the growing demand for connectivity in the aviation sector. This condition has encouraged the development of a low-profile microstrip antenna as a SATCOM receiver through a collaborative project between the Air Navigation Engineering Study Program, which focuses on antenna design, and the Aircraft Engineering Study Program, which is responsible for designing a dome-shaped protective antenna housing. This study aims to determine the optimal installation location, design a dome-based microstrip antenna housing, and evaluate its aerodynamic feasibility, considering that the housing serves not only as a protective enclosure but also as a component that must satisfy aerodynamic, structural, and electromagnetic transparency requirements.This research employed the Research and Development (R&D) method. The optimal installation location was determined through data triangulation involving a literature review, direct observations of the Piper Seneca-V, Learjet, and TBM 700 aircraft, as well as interviews with experts in aircraft structures and maintenance. The selection process considered five main aspects: aerodynamics and drag, signal performance and line of sight, fuselage structural strength, avionics interference and operational safety, and ease of maintenance. The housing design process followed the VDI 2221 systematic design methodology, beginning with requirement identification, concept development, and ending with the final geometric design. A composite material was selected as the primary material due to its favorable balance of structural strength, lightweight characteristics, and electromagnetic transparency. The aerodynamic performance
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of the proposed designs was evaluated through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations using ANSYS Fluent, which analyzed pressure distribution, airflow velocity, streamlines, vortex formation, drag force, wall shear stress, and skin friction coefficient. The results indicate that the upper fuselage is the most suitable installation location because it provides the best line of sight to the satellite, relatively low aerodynamic drag, easy maintenance access, and a safe separation distance from other avionics systems. Based on these findings, two composite housing configurations were developed: the Type 1 Flat Top Housing and the Type 2 Cambered Housing. The Type 1 housing has overall dimensions of 240.0 mm in length, 120.6 mm in maximum width, and 57.2 mm in dome height, while the Type 2 housing has a length of 240.0 mm, a maximum width of 110.7 mm, and a dome height of 45.0 mm, both with a material thickness of 5 mm, sized to accommodate a 32-element microstrip antenna array measuring 150 mm × 80 mm, and both employing a mounting system with two fasteners. The CFD simulations showed that the Type 1 design produced a drag coefficient of 5.5618 and a drag force of 3.4066 N, whereas the Type 2 design produced a drag coefficient of 6.9336 and a drag force of 4.2958 N, representing an approximately 26.1% increase compared with Type 1. The higher aerodynamic drag observed in the Type 2 design was primarily caused by the formation of vortex shedding, which generated an asymmetric wake flow, rather than by increased surface friction, since its wall shear stress and skin friction coefficient were slightly lower than those of Type 1. Based on the overall aerodynamic evaluation, both housing designs were considered suitable for installation on the upper fuselage of the Piper Seneca-V. However, the Type 1 Flat Top Housing is recommended as the preferred configuration because it generates lower overall drag and produces a more stable wake flow than the Type 2 Cambered Housing. This study is expected to serve as a preliminary reference for the development of antenna and antenna housing designs, particularly for SATCOM microstrip antenna applications on small aircraft, and to provide a foundation for future research involving manufacturing, installation, and experimental validation through ground tests and flight tests.