High Power Microwave (HPM) can destroy key components of communication systems through front-door coupling, resulting in system performance degradation or failure. For receivers with a single RF channel, the degree of system performance degradation can generally be evaluated using the effect results at the device level.

However, for phased array communication systems, the assessment of the system-level damage effect of HPM is a challenge. This is because there are numerous RF channels in the system, and the damage to each channel is inconsistent, making it difficult to apply the effect results at the device level to evaluate the system performance.

To verify the asymmetric damage effect of HPM on phased array communication systems and assess the impact of such asymmetric damage on system performance, this paper based on theoretical analysis, established a semi-physical simulation experiment and system-level irradiation experiment method, and conducted research on the asymmetric damage effect of typical phased array communication systems. The study investigated the additional impact of amplitude and phase inconsistency on system performance and carried out system-level verification experiments.

The results show that when the phased array communication system is damaged by HPM, asymmetric damage occurs between channels, affecting the synthesis of the phased array antenna beam, and further deteriorating the system performance.

Moreover, the greater the amplitude and phase inconsistency, especially the greater the phase inconsistency, the greater the additional loss in system performance.