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Questions tagged [radar]

Radar is a surveillance technology that uses radio waves to determine the range (and azimuth) of an aircraft. It works by measuring the time difference between a radio transmission and the echo or reply to that transmission. Radars are the most common surveillance equipment used by ATC.

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Can someone actually "fly under the radar"?

It is quite a common phrase, usually without having anything to do with radar or aviation. But. Is there such a thing as 'flying under the radar'? If so, why is this (and how low is that)?
Řídící
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Could an aircraft 'hide' in the aircraft shadow of another aircraft without being detected or noticed?

I just finished reading an interesting post where the author suggests that the missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370 could have 'hidden' under the cover of Singapore Airlines flight 68 to fly to a covert airstrip. I've read multiple thrillers where…
Thunderstrike
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Does huge rotating AWACS radar affect flight characteristics?

I would think that having a huge mass spinning around should produce massive gyroscopic forces when turning or pitching. There must be some clever way of minimising or eliminating the effects... How is it done? (An example of the sort of thing I…
DefenestrationDay
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What are magnetrons installed on aircraft used for?

I'm interested in characterizing the radio signatures of magnetrons that appear to be installed in most large aircraft, some examples appearing on this list: http://www.mpdcomponents.com/pdfs/FAA-PMA.pdf My understanding is that these magnetrons…
Guillochon
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What causes the radar phenomenon of ‘far-shore brightening’?

In Larry Milberry’s text on CAE (Canadian Aviation Electronics), in a discussion of the development of digital radar land mass simulation (DRLMS) for the Dutch Lynx mission simulator, far-shore brightening is described as “coastlines [appearing]…
BtureP
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What parts of Austrian airspace are not covered by primary radars?

I'm writing a story about the pilot of the Austrian Air Force, who uses his Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft for unintended purposes. In scope of another question we figured out that by turning off the transponder the pilot could make the aircraft…
user20083
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What is garbling in the context of radar?

Garbling is a problem known to affect secondary surveillance radar (SSR). What is it and why is it a problem?
Volkan Eroğlu
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In track while scan mode of radar operation what are the methods to predict next position of target?

In a track while scan system (TWS) the algorithm states that the processor predicts the next position of the target and compares it with the actual position but what are the actual methods of prediction?
Shreyas Mishra
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Are radar bars centered around the horizon or do they move with aircraft pitch?

Say I am in a military aircraft with a non-AESA radar. The radar is set to scan 4 elevation bars, so when I fly level, 2 above and 2 below the horizon. If I pitch 20 degs up, will it continue to scan around the horizon or will the bars move up with…
Invariant
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Will a Secondary Surveillance Radar be affected by a 300m high wind turbine?

60 wind turbines are located at a distance of about 30 km away from a Secondary Surveillance Radar installation; what will be the impact of this? My less than stellar knowledge of radar systems tells me that there shouldn't be an issue, since its a…
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Do jetliners carry radar that can detect other aircraft?

If not, why not? For example, if a civilian jetliner is flying at night over the Ocean, or a remote area with no airports/ground radar stations, and another airplane is also heading towards it on a collision course, shouldn't the pilot be able to…
Mr X
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ASTERIX category 240 fields placement in a UDP packet

I searched the placement of ASTERIX Category 240 radar video data fields in a UDP packet. But I cannot find any useful info. Is there a standard for this work?
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Can radar detect a small flying device with MEMS microengines?

I have seen some MEMS micro engines and some micro turbines and I would guess they can be attached to some payload to fly. Is it possible for commercial/military radars to detect those micro flying devices?
NitinG
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How does the secondary surveillance radar calculate the aircraft velocity?

In radar surveillances systems we have PSR ( primary surveillance radar) and SSR ( secondary surveillance radar) And they provide informations to be use it by air traffic controller, one of these information is velocity : PSR system : the velocity…
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What can cause a watchdog failure in an INDRA MSSR?

I am responsible for Mono-pulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR) system that resets itself after a watchdog failure. So far I have found the following: An unwanted number of replies are received by it. A noise test was also done but the test…
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