Faster jets make the limited horizon of a low shipboard radar increasingly dangerous. Raising the sensor changes the line-of-sight angle and pushes the point at which the Earth's curvature blocks detection farther away. An airborne early-warning aircraft therefore acts as a mobile high-altitude radar that can reveal threats sooner. Proposals for tethered radar drones apply the same principle while keeping a sensor continuously aloft.
Chapter · 3:52-4:38
Why jet speed made airborne early warning essential
See how moving radar into the air expands a fleet's warning horizon and restores reaction time against fast jet attacks.