Is Ground Radar Any Good ?

[Avio]

In this day and age of precision satellites and GPS, is the ground radar still any good to have?

Most known fixed targets would have their coordinates available, while locating tiny mobile targets with the radar is almost like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The TPOD is much better, though range is certainly more limited.

Would be nice to know how it could still be a good asset to use.

Two other questions :-

1) When doing PTRK on a moving target, it seems to capture track only when about 7 nm away. But at full zoom, even at 10 nm away the moving image was already very clear and distinct, but somehow still not trackable. Is this right?

2) For tanks, etc., moving at 11 knots, they don't show up in GMT. Is there a minimum speed whereby GMT needs to pick up?

 

 

[MagicSlave]

Here is an excellent example of ground radar use scenario for targets of opportunity (by a SME)

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[BuLLeT.ZA]

"In this day and age" is a tough question since the aircraft in game currently is a far cry from the one currently in service.

Furthermore, satellites are all well and good, but only lets you know where something was at a given point in time.

The biggest advantage from my point of view is the all-weather aspect. You can search for and attack targets (granted, not small objects) without ever having visual contact with them.

As for your other questions, I routinely battle with both issues so I can't really answer them. I have been told that the Suite of Strike Eagle we're dealing with at the moment was not particularly suited to either point. WSOs were better at manually tracking moving objects with the TPOD, and GMT wasn't very good. It will be interesting to see how the later Suites differ - once we get our hands on them.

I try to make it standard practice to use HRM every time I approach targets to get better at reading the generated map.

This is a great real-life example of using the radar and then the T-Pod to attack a target of opportunity: 

 

Edited August 10, 2023 by BuLLeT.ZA

[Njinsa]

10 hours ago, Avio said:

In this day and age of precision satellites and GPS, is the ground radar still any good to have?

Most known fixed targets would have their coordinates available, while locating tiny mobile targets with the radar is almost like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The TPOD is much better, though range is certainly more limited.

Would be nice to know how it could still be a good asset to use.

Two other questions :-

1) When doing PTRK on a moving target, it seems to capture track only when about 7 nm away. But at full zoom, even at 10 nm away the moving image was already very clear and distinct, but somehow still not trackable. Is this right?

2) For tanks, etc., moving at 11 knots, they don't show up in GMT. Is there a minimum speed whereby GMT needs to pick up?

 

 

Ground radar is still and will remain extremely valuable avionics asset, especially on F-15E which is built around radar.

GPS and satellites can't compensate almost anything that ground radar deliver in terms of building a good SA picture which itself is crucial for task/mission execution and platform survival. Mobile targets are extremely important as parts of enemy IADS elements can present credible threat and negate a valid portion of pre-flight intelligence focused on static target obtained by satellites or ELINT. TPOD can be primary sensor only for platforms which have limited volume for hosting a radar set and for mission roles that are not connected to interdiction or DEAD. If used as suggested by SMEs (even in this early stage of game release), you can get nice map patches with visible/usable reference points and a target picture from a safe distance. Mobile targets can be picked up from 30 miles so that plays along too. When within 20 miles, ground radar should handover the focus to TPOD. 

Currently, there are a tons of uncompleted functions on most systems with stopgaps that need time before they are done as was IRL. Some things are within ED exclusive control so don't expect it anytime soon. Things will improve over time as we just started scratching the surface. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Njinsa

[Avio]

I agree the radar is excellent for building an initial relative positional SA, but I'm not sure if from 30 miles it could pick up something as small as a mobile target. Will have to try that out.

 

[Mud]

I'm able to pick up columns of static vehicles at least with the Mudhen's radar, which I have trouble doing with the F-16 or F/A-18's radar.

Handy for those cloudy days!

Mud