Circularly disposed antenna array
large circular antenna used by the military
A circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA), sometimes referred to as a circularly disposed dipole array (CDDA) or a wullenweber, is a large circular antenna array used for radio direction finding. They are used by military and government agencies to triangulate radio signals for radio navigation, intelligence gathering, search and rescue, and enforcement of broadcasting laws. Because their huge circular reflecting screens look like circular fences, some antennas have been colloquially referred to as "elephant cages". The term "wullenweber" was the World War II German cover term used to identify their secret CDAA research and development program; its name is unrelated to any person involved in the program.
Many such CDAA systems are used by many nations, including Canada, Germany, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States.
History
Origin in World War II Germany
CDAA technology was developed by the German navy communication research command, Nachrichtenmittelversuchskommando (NVK) and Telefunken, working on the Wullenweber during the early years of World War II. The inventor was NVK group leader Dr. Hans Rindfleisch, who worked after the war as a Technical Director for the northern Germany official broadcast (Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)). Technical team leaders were Dr. Joachim Pietzner, Dr. Hans Schellhoss, and Dr.
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