This is a list of different types of

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, Marine radar, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor v ...

Detection and search radars

Search radars scan great volumes of space with pulses of short radio waves. They typically scan the volume two to four times a minute. The waves are usually less than a meter long. Ships and planes are metal, and reflect radio waves. The radar measures the distance to the reflector by measuring the time of the roundtrip from emission of a pulse to reception, dividing this by two, and then multiplying by the

speed of light The speed of light in vacuum, commonly denoted , is a universal physical constant that is important in many areas of physics. The speed of light is exactly equal to ). According to the special theory of relativity, is the upper limit fo ...

. To be accepted, the received pulse has to lie within a period of time called the ''range gate''. The radar determines the direction because the short radio waves behave like a search light when emitted from the reflector of the radar set's antenna.

Search

* Early Warning (EW) Radar Radar Systems ** Ground Control Intercept (GCI) Radar ** Airborne Early Warning (AEW) **

Airborne ground surveillance Airborne ground surveillance (AGS) refers to a class of military airborne radar system (Surveillance aircraft) used for detecting and tracking ground targets, such as vehicles and slow moving helicopters, as opposed to Airborne early warning and ...

(AGS) ** Over-the-Horizon (OTH) Radar *Target Acquisition (TA, TAR) Radar Systems ** Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) Systems ** Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) Systems *Surface Search (SS) Radar Systems **Surface Search Radar **Coastal Surveillance Radar **Harbour Surveillance Radar ** Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) Radar * Height Finder (HF) Radar Systems *Gap Filler Radar Systems

Targeting radars

Targeting radars utilize the same principle but scan smaller volumes of space far more often, usually several times a second or more, while a search radar will scan a larger volume less frequently. Missile lock-on describes the scenario where a targeting radar has acquired a target, and the fire control can calculate a path for the missile to the target; in

semi-active radar homing Semi-active radar homing (SARH) is a common type of missile guidance system, perhaps the most common type for longer-range air-to-air and surface-to-air missile systems. The name refers to the fact that the missile itself is only a passive de ...

systems, this implies that the missile can "see" the target that the targeting radar is "illuminating". Some targeting radars have a range gate that can track a target, to eliminate clutter and

electronic countermeasure An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

Missile guidance systems

* Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) * Air-to-Surface Missile (ASM) * Surface-to-air missile (SAM) Systems * Surface-to-Surface Missiles (SSM) Systems

Others

*Target Tracking (TT) Systems ** AAA Systems *Multi-Function Systems ** Fire Control (FC) Systems ***Acquisition Mode ***Semiautomatic Tracking Mode ***Manual Tracking Mode **Airborne Intercept (AI) Radars ***Search Mode ***TA Mode ***TT Mode ***Target Illumination (TI) Mode *** Missile Guidance (MG) Mode **

Active electronically scanned array An active electronically scanned array (AESA) is a type of phased array antenna, which is a computer-controlled array antenna in which the beam of radio waves can be electronically steered to point in different directions without moving the an ...

(AESA)

Battlefield and reconnaissance radar

*Battlefield Surveillance Systems **

Counter-battery radar A counter-battery radar (alternatively weapon tracking radar or COBRA) is a radar system that detects artillery projectiles fired by one or more guns, howitzers, mortars or rocket launchers and, from their trajectories, locates the position on ...

**Battlefield Surveillance Radars **Tactical Radar Identification and Location System *Countermortar/Counterbattery Systems **Shell Tracking Radars *Air Mapping Systems **

Side looking airborne radar Side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) is an aircraft- or satellite-mounted imaging radar pointing perpendicular to the direction of flight (hence ''side-looking''). A squinted (nonperpendicular) mode is possible also. SLAR can be fitted with a st ...

(SLAR) ** Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) ** Perimeter Surveillance Radar (PSR) ** Red Dawn Radar System * Ground Surveillance Radar *

Man portable radar Man-portable radar is a lightweight surveillance radar system that does not require vehicle support to transport or operate. Man-portable radar was developed to introduce radar to remote areas where vehicle support is not feasible. Examples PPE PG ...

Instrumentation radars

Instrumentation radars are used to test aircraft, missiles, rockets, and munitions on government and private test ranges. They provide Time, Space, Position, Information (TSPI) data both for real time and post processing analysis. Repurposed NASA and military radars *

AN/FPS-16 The AN/FPS-16 is a highly accurate ground-based monopulse single object tracking radar (SOTR), used extensively by the NASA manned space program, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Army. The accuracy of Radar Set AN/FPS-16 is such that the position ...

* MPQ-33/39 *MPA-25 *FPS-134 * FPS-14 *TPQ-18 *FPQ-17 Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) * Weibel MFTR series * Weibel MSL series * Weibel SL series Custom *AN/MPS-39 Multi-Object Tracking Radar (MOTR) *TAMTS *BAE Rule *ROTR *ROSA *ROSA II *COSIP *Dynetics MRS

Fuzes and triggers

Radar

proximity fuze A proximity fuze (or fuse) is a fuze that detonates an explosive device automatically when the distance to the target becomes smaller than a predetermined value. Proximity fuzes are designed for targets such as planes, missiles, ships at sea, an ...

s are attached to

anti-aircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based ...

shells or other

explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...

devices, and detonate the device when it approaches a large object. They use a small rapidly pulsing omnidirectional radar, usually with a powerful battery that has a long storage life, and a very short operational life. The fuzes used in anti-aircraft artillery have to be mechanically designed to accept fifty thousand ''g'', yet still be cheap enough to throw away.

Weather-sensing radar systems

Weather radar Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pulse- ...

s can resemble search radars. This radar uses radio waves along with horizontal, dual (horizontal and vertical), or circular polarization. The frequency selection of weather radar is a performance compromise between precipitation reflectivity and attenuation due to atmospheric water vapor. Some

weather radar Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pulse- ...

s uses

doppler shift The Doppler effect or Doppler shift (or simply Doppler, when in context) is the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. It is named after the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who ...

to measure wind speeds and dual-polarization for identification of types of precipitations. *

* Wind profilers * Millimetre cloud radar * CODAR Image:Sturmfront auf Doppler-Radar-Schirm.jpg, Storm front reflectivities on a weather radar screen (NOAA) Image:Wind_Profiler.jpg, Wind profiling radar

Navigational radars

Navigational radars resemble search radar, but use very short waves that reflect from earth and stone. They are common on commercial ships and long-distance commercial aircraft. Marine radars are used by ships for collision avoidance and navigation purposes. The frequency band of

used on most ships is

X band The X band is the designation for a band of frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is rather indefinitely set at approxi ...

(9 GHz/3 cm), but

S band The S band is a designation by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for a part of the microwave band of the electromagnetic spectrum covering frequencies from 2 to 4 gigahertz (GHz). Thus it crosses the conventi ...

(3 GHz/10 cm) radar is also installed on most oceangoing ships to provide better detection of ships in rough sea and heavy rain condition. Vessel traffic services also use marine radars (X or S band) for tracking ARPA and provides collision avoidance or traffic regulation of ships in the surveillance area. General purpose radars are increasingly being substituted for pure navigational radars. These generally use navigational radar frequencies, but modulate the pulse so the receiver can determine the type of surface of the reflector. The best general-purpose radars distinguish the rain of heavy storms, as well as land and vehicles. Some can superimpose sonar and map data from GPS position.

Air Traffic Control and navigation

Air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...

uses primary and secondary radars. Primary radars are a "classical" radar which reflects all kind of echoes, including

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

and clouds. Secondary radar emits pulses and listens for special answer of digital data emitted by an Aircraft

Transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...

as an answer. Transponders emit different kind of data like a 4 octal ID (mode A), the onboard calculated altitude (mode C) or the Callsign (not the

flight number In the aviation industry, a flight number or flight designator is a code for an airline service consisting of two-character airline designator and a 1 to 4 digit number. For example, "BA 98" is a British Airways service from Toronto-Pearson to ...

) (mode S). Military use transponders to establish the nationality and intention of an aircraft, so that air defenses can identify possibly hostile radar returns. This military system is called IFF (

Identification Friend or Foe Identification, friend or foe (IFF) is an identification system designed for command and control. It uses a transponder that listens for an ''interrogation'' signal and then sends a ''response'' that identifies the broadcaster. IFF systems usua ...

). * Air Traffic Control (ATC) Radars * Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) (Airport Surveillance Radar) *Ground Control Approach (GCA) Radars * Precision Approach Radar (PAR) Systems * Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) * Radio Beacons * Radar Altimeter (RA) Systems * Terrain-Following Radar (TFR) Systems *

Radar altimeter A radar altimeter (RA), also called a radio altimeter (RALT), electronic altimeter, reflection altimeter, or low-range radio altimeter (LRRA), measures altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft or spacecraft by timing how long it t ...

s measure an aircraft's true height above ground.

Space and range instrumentation radar systems

*Space (SP) Tracking Systems *Range Instrumentation (RI) Systems *Video Relay/Downlink Systems * Space-based radar * Incoherent scatter

Mapping radars

Mapping radars are used to scan a large region for

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Ear ...

and

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

applications. They generally use

synthetic aperture radar Synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) is a form of radar that is used to create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions of objects, such as landscapes. SAR uses the motion of the radar antenna over a target region to provide fine ...

, which limits them to relatively static targets, normally terrain. Specific radar systems can sense a human behind walls. This is possible since the reflective characteristics of humans are generally more diverse than those of the materials typically used in construction. However, since humans reflect far less radar energy than metal does, these systems require sophisticated technology to isolate human targets and moreover to process any sort of detailed image. Through-the-wall radars can be made with

Ultra Wideband Ultra-wideband (UWB, ultra wideband, ultra-wide band and ultraband) is a radio technology that can use a very low energy level for short-range, high-bandwidth communications over a large portion of the radio spectrum. UWB has traditional applicati ...

impulse radar, micro-Doppler radar, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).Through-the-wall radar
/ref> * Imaging radar *

3D radar 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...

Speed radar

Radar gun A radar speed gun (also radar gun and speed trap gun) is a device used to measure the speed of moving objects. It is used in law-enforcement to measure the speed of moving vehicles and is often used in professional spectator sport, for things su ...

, for traffic policing and as used in some sports

Radars for biological research

Radar range and wavelength can be adapted for different surveys of bird and migration and daily habits. They can have other uses too in the biological field. *
Insect radar
**Surveillance radar (mostly X and S band, i.e. primary ATC Radars) **Tracking radar (mostly X band, i.e. Fire Control Systems) *
Wearable radar
' and miniature radar systems are used as electric seeing aids for the visually impaired, as well as early warning

collision detection Collision detection is the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. Collision detection is a classic issue of computational geometry and has applications in various computing fields, primarily in computer grap ...

and

situational awareness Situational awareness or situation awareness (SA) is the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their future status. An alternative definition is tha ...

Notes

{{Authority control Radar