Saturday, 18 May 2013


AVAITION TECHNOLOGY ---     HISTROY AND TECHNOLOGY BEHIND AVIATION RADAR

The born of radar was conceived with the radio. The technology of radio made the invention of radar possible. Radar is an electronic device or system designed to detect direction, distance and speed of aircraft etc. through sending out pulses. Today, radar is a standard piece of equipment used in many forms and ways and something most people have heard of. Before the Second World War though, radar technology was regarded as a top secret project by the nations that were rapidly discovering it.
The Second World War led to most countries finding the need to o track and measure aviation movement for defence reasons. This started off with experiments using “sound mirrors” which used a radar dish with a microphone to detect the sound of engines at longer distances. Robert Watson-Watt invited Air Chief Marshal Hugh Dowding for a demonstration. Unfortunately it didn’t go well as a passing milk float completely disrupted the demo. Watson-Watt quickly decided that using sound to detect aircraft wasn’t the most reliable way of doing things! Following investment from the British Government to, rather bizarrely, research radio “death rays”, radar was soon chosen as the way forward.
The very first technology allowed for the radar to provide feedback which enables the radar controller to see pulses rise on a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) scope whenever an echo or reflection was seen indicating an object. The transmission pulse would start at “0” on the scale and the return pulses would be seen along a ruler indicating distance. For example, if a return pulse was seen at ‘50’ that meant the target or object was 50 miles away.


Abdullah Alhumaidi
Post No. 1



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