Operational Phases
Fire-control radars operate in three different phases:
- Designation or vectoring phase
- The fire-control radar must be directed to the general location of the target due to the radar’s narrow beam width. This phase ends when lock-on is acquired.
- Acquisition phase
- The fire-control radar switches to the acquisition phase of operation once the radar is in the general vicinity of the target. During this phase, the radar system searches in the designated area in a predetermined search pattern until the target is located or redesignated. This phase terminates when a weapon is launched.
- Tracking phase
- The fire-control radar enters into the track phase when the target is located. The radar system locks onto the target during this phase. This phase ends when the target is destroyed.
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