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Types of Radars
Radar originally was developed to meet the needs of the military services, and it
continues to have critical applications for national defense purposes. For instance,
radars are used to detect aircraft, missiles, artillery and mortar projectiles, ships, land
vehicles, and satellites. In addition, radar controls and guides weapons; allows one
class of target to be distinguished from another; aids in the navigation of aircraft and
ships; and assists in reconnaissance and damage assessment.
Military radar systems can be divided into three main classes based on platform: landbased, shipborne, and airborne. Within these broad classes, there are several other
categories based mainly on the operational use of the radar system. For the purposes
of this report, the categories of military radars will be as described below, although
there are some "gray" areas where some systems tend to cover more than one
category. There is also a trend to develop multimode radar systems. In these cases,
the radar category is based on the primary use of the radar.
Some of the more prominent types of radars are described below. These descriptions
are not precise, for each of these radar types usually employ a characteristic
waveform and signal processing that differentiate it from other radars.
Land-Based Air Defense Radars. These radars cover all fixed, mobile, and
transportable 2-D and 3-D systems used in the air defense mission.
Battlefield, Missile Control, and Ground Surveillance Radars. These radars also
include battlefield surveillance, tracking, fire-control, and weapons-locating radar
systems, whether fixed, mobile, transportable, or man-portable.
Naval and Coastal Surveillance, and Navigation Radars. These radars consist of
shipborne surface search and air search radars (2-D and 3-D) as well as land-based
coastal surveillance radars.
Naval Fire-Control Radars. These are shipborne radars that are part of a radar-based
fire-control and weapons guidance systems.