Airborne radar (also known as Airborne Interception Radar, or AI) is also known. It is a type of radar that equips aircraft in the air-to-air role. It employs multiple sensors to track a target's position. One common application of airborne radar involves the detection of hostile missiles or aircraft.
Doppler effect
The frequency of an airborne radar signal received from a target will increase if the target is moving closer. This effect is caused by the Doppler effect. Doppler-frequency, which is a measure for radial speed, is commonly called "normalized". This property allows radars echo signals from different radar frequencies to be processed in a consistent way.
The Doppler effect occurs when waves of different frequencies are redirected by an object that is moving. The Doppler effect occurs when the wave coming from a point source is compressed and then expanded in the opposite direction. This effect is magnified when an object moves quickly. The frequency of sound at right angles to motion is not affected.
Ground Range
Ground ranging with airborne radar refers to using radar to locate objects on the ground. This technique is common in military reconnaissance and terrain mapping. This technique can also be used by NASA and airborne search systems. It can be applied for satellites including the Russian ALMAZ Satellite and the Japanese JERS-1 Satellit.
Ground ranging on airborne radar uses high-frequency radio waves to detect objects on the ground. The application determines the frequency that is used. A radar with a larger frequency will have a smaller size.
Contouring
Airborne radar is a great way to forecast storms and keep them from reaching the ground. However, there are some factors that you should know before deploying this powerful tool. These factors include the season, geographical location, and your own good judgment. Avoid flying in a direction that is steep because of the terrain.
Contour interpolation is the basic method of contouring an area. This technique exploits the redundancy of natural terrain and provides a simplified method to reconstruct terrain's height. It works in the same manner as a topographic map. Context interpolation is a method of determining the height at which any point of a radar sweep is located. It involves interpolating the heights the contour immediately surrounding that point and other contours. It is possible to find a continuum from points in a radar sweep by interpolating their heights.
Attenuation
Attenuation at airborne radar occurs both on the outward path and return path of radar signals. C band radar would encounter a 60 dBZ reflective core and lose 10dBZ in signal strength along the outward pathway. The return path would suffer a 20dBZ loss. This would lead to reflectivity returns for precipitation that is farther from radar being 20dBZ lower then actual. A S band radar with the same core would see only 2dBZ loss.
Attenuation plays an important role in radar technology. It is a useful tool for meteorologists to identify thunderstorms from hundreds of miles away. It also causes radar scope darkening, which alerts airborne pilots of potentially dangerous weather, terrain and cities below them.
Reflection
Reflection is a process that occurs when a radar's electromagnetic pulses bounce off the surface of a target. This process is also known as specular refractive. The frequency of the echoes depends upon the antenna pattern, and the length the transmitted pulse. The phase variation of the echoes on the track also affects their frequency. The phase of the echos is zero at nadir. The phase of the echoes will change more depending on how far away the radar is from the target.
Conditions that affect airborne radar reflectivity can also have an impact on it. Radar reflectivity tends to increase towards the surface in warmer weather conditions. However, high reflectivity conditions tend toward the surface.