Surface-search radar: Difference between revisions

A '''surface -search radar''', sometimes more accurately known as a '''sea-surface -search radar''' or '''naval surveillance radar''', is a type of military [[radar]] intended primarily to locate objects on the surface of lakes and oceans. TheyPart areof widelyalmost foundevery onmodern civiliannaval ships and even small pleasure craftship, in which case they are more commonly known simply as [[marine radar]]. They are also widely used on [[maritime patrol aircraft]] and naval [[helicopter]]s. When mounted on an aircraft, they are sometimes known, by thein British terminology, as [[Airair-to-Surface Vesselsurface-vessel radar]], or— '''ASV''' for short. Similar radars are also widely used on civilian ships and even small pleasure craft, in which case they are more commonly known as [[marine radar]].

As with conventional surveillance radars, these radiossystems detect objects by listening forfrom the reflections of a [[radio]] signalsignals fromoff the radar transmitter offtarget objects, especially metal. The range of a surface -search radar is greatly increased compared to other roles due to several aspects of the sea surfaces and the objects in it. In low [[sea state]]s, water makes an excellent reflector for radio signals, which helps maximize the signal strength as reflections off the water strike the targets in addition to the line-of-sight signal. Additionally, as the sides of ships generally rise vertically from the surface, objectsthey form partial [[corner cube]]s which increases the returned signal.

Offsetting these advantages is the fact that in higher sea states, large waves also create the same signals, making [[Clutter (radar)|radar clutter]] a significant problem. A considerable amount of research into clutter reduction was applied to the naval market.