New Article Series! WWWUT?
This update is part of the "When Will We Use THAT?" (or WWWUT? So clever.) series, showcasing those instances where the what the hell things we had to memorize in high school/college turn out to be pretty useful.
Today's "When Will We Use THAT?":
Algebra, The Doppler Effect, and Men With Adorable Hats...
Phased Array Radar or P.A.R. utilizes both these principles to accomplish one of the most advanced and simplistic active*1 scanning technologies available. Picture this device as a 10x10 checkerboard pattern mounted horizontally, with each tile having a corresponding label relating to it's position on the grid from A1 in the upper left, and all the way to J0 in the lower right.
Each tile is a sender/receiver. A1 projects a beam, which bounces from the target back to the checkerboard tiles A1 through J0, then A2 fires a beam which is bounced and received to all tiles again. Since they're all in a slightly different position (phased), they are able to look at the same target from a hundred different angles and compile it into one image. It's not unlike our own visual process.
The horizon of Earth extends to around 18 miles in all directions, if an enemy bomber is flying low at 300mph from the horizon toward a ship, there's less than three minutes until the ship's lower deck gets a sun roof, a pool, and a tan. Obviously the ability to observe the pilot's fashion statement from a Grand Canyon sized distance is considerably useful.
Luckily for the Navy folks, there is the Aegis Combat System which utilizes P.A.R. on a practical and fundamental level. The A.C.S. is now used on most warships, as most are against the idea of having an impromptu screen-door installed in their hull. How does this system work?
Well, we learned so far that the Phased Array Radar:
1.) Is exceptionally accurate.
2.) Constantly updates coordinates.
3.) Has a VERY high resolution.
To implement the P.A.R. for Anti-Aircraft defense purposes, they link the radar array to computer-guided guns (usually the Phalanx CIWS, which are also nicknamed Daleks for the amusement of women named Chantal out there), Surface to Air Missiles, Rubber Ducky Launchers, Patriot missiles, and possibly Metal Storm systems in the future.
Since the P.A.R. sends constant real time updates to the targeting software, with an accurate weapon on-shore, you could head shot the pilot in the cockpit. But given that Warships are out on the ocean, the general response to incoming hostiles is the "F*ck You Transmission"... which can be up to 13,500 rounds of 20mm tungsten sabot -that is, armor piercing bullets bigger than your eye socket- and a few Surface/Air missiles for good measure.
Heck, the CIWS Phalanx guns' impact is mechanically identical to aiming an industrial sand blaster at a saltine cracker.
Did I mention all of these can be automated? I believe the moniker "fire and forget" has been upgraded to "forget until it fires," or "this thing is a pain to reload."
There are also many civilian uses for Phased Array Radar commonly used in day to day life. Did you get the weather report on the way to work today? P.A.R. was used twice to bring you that information, via the "Doppler" radar that gathered the weather-related data, and the FM station tower that relayed the daily forecast to your car speakers.
*1: A reasonably simple explanation is that ACTIVE radar is like a game of "Marco, Polo". Sending out a loud signal and using the returning signal to locate the target's whereabouts. PASSIVE radar, on the other hand, is akin to "Hide and Seek". Shouting "POLO!" while hiding = Tactics Fail. Passive radar is simply waiting quietly and listening for any unusual "noise".
And now, for the media related stuff.
Sciennnnnnce....
The CIWS Phalanx resembles a chain gun turret with a big white metal turban. It might be a tad silly looking, but against an anti-ship missile, it's akin to bringing an AA-12 to a knife fight.
This one is sort of fun, and it shows you why it's a Class A bad idea to mess with a full-fledged warship (this one was the USS Fletcher DD-992, decommissioned). The intermittent on-screen static and audio fuzz are caused by the AN/SPS (active radar) interfering with the camera electronics as the 400MHz beam sweeps by.
Today's "When Will We Use THAT?":
Algebra, The Doppler Effect, and Men With Adorable Hats...
Phased Array Radar or P.A.R. utilizes both these principles to accomplish one of the most advanced and simplistic active*1 scanning technologies available. Picture this device as a 10x10 checkerboard pattern mounted horizontally, with each tile having a corresponding label relating to it's position on the grid from A1 in the upper left, and all the way to J0 in the lower right.
Each tile is a sender/receiver. A1 projects a beam, which bounces from the target back to the checkerboard tiles A1 through J0, then A2 fires a beam which is bounced and received to all tiles again. Since they're all in a slightly different position (phased), they are able to look at the same target from a hundred different angles and compile it into one image. It's not unlike our own visual process.
The horizon of Earth extends to around 18 miles in all directions, if an enemy bomber is flying low at 300mph from the horizon toward a ship, there's less than three minutes until the ship's lower deck gets a sun roof, a pool, and a tan. Obviously the ability to observe the pilot's fashion statement from a Grand Canyon sized distance is considerably useful.
Luckily for the Navy folks, there is the Aegis Combat System which utilizes P.A.R. on a practical and fundamental level. The A.C.S. is now used on most warships, as most are against the idea of having an impromptu screen-door installed in their hull. How does this system work?
Well, we learned so far that the Phased Array Radar:
1.) Is exceptionally accurate.
2.) Constantly updates coordinates.
3.) Has a VERY high resolution.
To implement the P.A.R. for Anti-Aircraft defense purposes, they link the radar array to computer-guided guns (usually the Phalanx CIWS, which are also nicknamed Daleks for the amusement of women named Chantal out there), Surface to Air Missiles, Rubber Ducky Launchers, Patriot missiles, and possibly Metal Storm systems in the future.
Since the P.A.R. sends constant real time updates to the targeting software, with an accurate weapon on-shore, you could head shot the pilot in the cockpit. But given that Warships are out on the ocean, the general response to incoming hostiles is the "F*ck You Transmission"... which can be up to 13,500 rounds of 20mm tungsten sabot -that is, armor piercing bullets bigger than your eye socket- and a few Surface/Air missiles for good measure.
Heck, the CIWS Phalanx guns' impact is mechanically identical to aiming an industrial sand blaster at a saltine cracker.
Did I mention all of these can be automated? I believe the moniker "fire and forget" has been upgraded to "forget until it fires," or "this thing is a pain to reload."
There are also many civilian uses for Phased Array Radar commonly used in day to day life. Did you get the weather report on the way to work today? P.A.R. was used twice to bring you that information, via the "Doppler" radar that gathered the weather-related data, and the FM station tower that relayed the daily forecast to your car speakers.
*1: A reasonably simple explanation is that ACTIVE radar is like a game of "Marco, Polo". Sending out a loud signal and using the returning signal to locate the target's whereabouts. PASSIVE radar, on the other hand, is akin to "Hide and Seek". Shouting "POLO!" while hiding = Tactics Fail. Passive radar is simply waiting quietly and listening for any unusual "noise".
And now, for the media related stuff.
Sciennnnnnce....
The CIWS Phalanx resembles a chain gun turret with a big white metal turban. It might be a tad silly looking, but against an anti-ship missile, it's akin to bringing an AA-12 to a knife fight.
Click to view
This one is sort of fun, and it shows you why it's a Class A bad idea to mess with a full-fledged warship (this one was the USS Fletcher DD-992, decommissioned). The intermittent on-screen static and audio fuzz are caused by the AN/SPS (active radar) interfering with the camera electronics as the 400MHz beam sweeps by.