

This dramatically improved radar performance and was a major militaryĭevelopment. (Microwaves operate at a higher frequency than "high frequency.") Of signals in the microwave region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Waveguide transmission lines and components that allowed the generation In the United States developed several devices such as the resonantĬavity circuit, the klystron electron tube, and the coaxial and Recognized that radars that could operate at frequencies higher Or HF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. TheĬH and other early radars operated in the "high frequency," Referred to as the CH radar), which entered service in 1937. In extensive operational use was the British Home Chain radar (often In 1934, Robert Page developed a pulse radar for the detection of aircraft. Army Signal Corps' laboratory for ground equipment at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, also started a radar project. He wrote a lengthy memo on how this phenomenon might be used to detect airplanes. Robert Watson-Watt had also heard of reports from the government post office, which was responsible for shortwave radio communications, that airplanes flying near post office receivers caused problems with reception of signals. In 1934, researchers at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, D.C., began work on bouncing radio signals off of objects after noticing that ships traveling down the Potomac River interfered with radio signals being transmitted across the river. Weather conditions could reduce the transmission of radio waves, as could physical objects such as mountains between the transmitter and receiver.Įxactly who gets credit for "inventing" radar is a topic of some disagreement in historical circles, for many people started working on the subject in many places at roughly the same time, and many of their developments influenced each other. It did not take those who used radio long to realize that a lot of things could affect its performance. When it was received, it could be converted back to sound waves. Radio worked by converting sound into electromagnetic energy that was then transmitted over a distance. Radio, which was first developed in the late 1800s, allowed people to communicate over long distances without a physical connection such as a wire between the transmitter and the receiver. To quote Scottish scientist Robert Watson-Watt, one of the early pioneers of radar technology, radar is "the art of detecting by means of radio echoes the presence of objects, determining their direction and ranges, recognizing their character and employing data thus obtained in the performance of military, naval, or other operations." Radar is used for navigation, targeting, air traffic control, weather tracking, and a host of other purposes. It is also a clear example of a military technology that had important civilian uses. It has certainly proven to be one of the most amazingly useful developments of the 20 th century and is vital to aviation. While these claims may be a little hyperbolic, there is no question that radar was a major development.

Radar (radio detecting and ranging) is often called the weapon that won World War II and the invention that changed the world. The AIRSAR captures images of the ground from the side of the aircraft and can provide precision digital elevation mapping capabilities for a variety of studies. A view of the Airborne Synthetic Aperature Radar (AIRSAR) antenna on the left rear fuselage of a NASA DC-8.
