In radar terms, what does Sweep refer to?

In radar terms, what does Sweep refer to?

• A. The area a RADAR is sweeping (covering)
• B. The rate at which the antenna spins
• C. The time between range sweeps
• D. The distance to the farthest target

Answer: (B)

In radar terms, Sweep refers to how quickly the radar beam moves across the search area—the rate at which the antenna spins or sweeps through an angular sector. This is the angular velocity of the scanning motion, usually expressed in degrees per second or rotations per minute. The reason this is the best description is that Sweep is all about how fast the antenna is turning to cover ground and refresh the view of targets. The area being covered is a result of that motion, but the term specifically denotes the speed of the scanning, not the area itself, not the time between scans, and not the distance to targets.

In radar terms, Sweep refers to how quickly the radar beam moves across the search area—the rate at which the antenna spins or sweeps through an angular sector. This is the angular velocity of the scanning motion, usually expressed in degrees per second or rotations per minute. The reason this is the best description is that Sweep is all about how fast the antenna is turning to cover ground and refresh the view of targets. The area being covered is a result of that motion, but the term specifically denotes the speed of the scanning, not the area itself, not the time between scans, and not the distance to targets.