Although radomes are used extensively on airframes and missiles, this section focuses specifically on support structures for terrestrial and shipboard systems. Ground and shipboard radomes can range in size from very small antenna covers to massive structures tens of meters in diameter. There are many methods to support the structure, each with strengths and limitations summarized in Table 1.

Table 1: Features and drawbacks of radome support configurations.
* Thin fabric membrane radomes need positive pressure to prevent damage in high wind conditions.

Self-supporting radomes are usually based on an A-sandwich configuration. They are made of rigid sections that are bolted or latched together. If phase delay and insertion loss through the seam is matched to the rest of the radome, the seam becomes largely invisible to the electromagnetic wave front. Unlike other radome types mention in this article, A-sandwich radomes require no air blowers to maintain pressure and are not dependant on electrical power to maintain their electro-magnetic or structural performance. A-sandwich radomes generally have lower overall operation and maintenance costs.

Inflatable radomes are made of electrically thin dielectric cloth. By being electrically thin, they are capable of achieving very low loss over wide bandwidths. The tradeoff for high performance, however, is that they require a constant supply of air. Inflatable radomes must be supported by internally generated air pressure which is supplied by air blowers or air compressors. In order to maintain adequate air pressure, inflatable radomes must be equipped with airlocks at all doors and a stand-by power supply to operate the blowers at all times and under all environmental conditions. Should the membrane suffer damage or if power is interrupted it's possible for the radome to deflate and collapse. Operating and maintenance costs for this type of radome usually exceeds those of all other radome types.

Metal space frame radomes are support the window portion of the radome consisting of the electrically thin, half-wave, or A-sandwich configuration, often in the shape of a geodesic dome. The window portion typically has very low loss. However, signal blockage from the frame reduces system gain and reflects noise back into the system. Because the frame reflects and refracts the RF wave front, it increases sidelobe levels. A method used to prevent large sidelobes is the use of a quasi-random frame pattern. The quasi-random pattern is also used to minimize sidelobes for the other support structure types.

In contrast to metal space frame radomes, dielectric space frame radomes are supported by dielectric members which are somewhat electrically transparent. However, the wave front is phase delayed as it passes through the dielectric support, alternating between in and out of phase depending on frequency. If the delay is 180° out of phase with the phase of the incident signal, the energy that passes through the frame subtracts from the gain. This leads to a frequency dependant sinusoidal ripple in the insertion loss and the lost energy goes into the sidelobes. This makes dielectric space frame radomes best suited to systems that operate at less than 1 GHz.

Both types of space frame radomes usually require the use of air blowers or compressors in order to maintain and enhance the structural integrity of their thin membrane coverings during windy conditions. Failure to maintain positive pressure can result in membrane damage and failure.