A Ka-band microstrip array antenna for wide-range detection of moving targets is analyzed through a photonicassisted reactive-near-field characterization technique. The antenna array employs a 3-dB-tapered feed network to suppress the sidelobe level while retaining a wide azimuth beamwidth for a wide detection range. The relative nearelectric field patterns of the array and its 3-dB-tapered feed lines have been measured using an electro-optic fieldmapping technique for minimally invasive millimeter-wave sensing. A number of typical limitations on the technique, involving bandwidth, low signal-modulation depth, and high laser-induced noise in high-frequency applications, have been overcome by suppressing the carrier portion of the optical interrogation beam.