Re:Mysterious Drones Swarmed Langley AFB for Weeks
by dghlsakjg on Sunday March 17, 2024 @09:52PM
(#39739837)
There’s search radars, which is the ones you see in movies that spin in a circle or arc and continuously scan the whole area with updates for all returns every second or so. These are also what all ATC towers have.
Then there’s tracking radars which point at one thing and track it continuously.
This is a simplification, and some radars can switch between track and scan.
In other words, a scan radar can and does track many objects at once, but at lower update frequencies.
The other thing to keep in mind is that every plane on that air force base has its own radar, in addition to multiple ground units and most can be interlinked for a more complete picture.
Then there’s tracking radars which point at one thing and track it continuously.
This is a simplification, and some radars can switch between track and scan.
In other words, a scan radar can and does track many objects at once, but at lower update frequencies.
The other thing to keep in mind is that every plane on that air force base has its own radar, in addition to multiple ground units and most can be interlinked for a more complete picture.