How does radar work during A-G mode

[Skrzatek]

Hey, I'm wondering how the F-16 radar uses its antenna in A-G mode. Antenna elevation doesn't affect the image (but antenna azimuth does), and the radar scans the entire area in front of the aircraft and directly below it simultaneously.

[skywalker22]

 

[Skrzatek]

@skywalker22 Unfortunately, this video is not the answer to my question and provides too little explanation (more from an user point of view, not technical).

[Tholozor]

Funny enough this has been brought up before a few years ago: 

 

[Skrzatek]

So if I understand correctly, the only true word in F-16's "Air to Ground Radar" is "ground"?

[skywalker22]

40 minutes ago, Skrzatek said:

So if I understand correctly, the only true word in F-16's "Air to Ground Radar" is "ground"?

From air to ground. It's also "Air to Air".

[Skrzatek]

@skywalker22 I already knew before that "Air to Air" part was poorly simulated, now I was only wondering about A-G.

[RogueSpecterGaming]

7 hours ago, Skrzatek said:

So if I understand correctly, the only true word in F-16's "Air to Ground Radar" is "ground"?

Are you thinking that the phrase "Air-to-Ground" means that it should have an "Air" capability to the radar while also being able to have the "Ground" capability?? Are you thinking it should show you air targets as well??

[Ivandrov]

Air-to-ground radar is correct. It is a radar used in the air, and this mode is used to scan for and map ground returns.

Edited Monday at 05:52 AM by Ivandrov

[Skrzatek]

@RogueSpecterGaming No, I am thinking that the phrase "Air to Ground Radar" should mean that there is a radar in the air that is emitting radio waves to the ground, not a fancy looking F10 map plotted on MFD.

[Furiz]

14 hours ago, Ivandrov said:

Air-to-ground radar is correct. It is a radar used in the air, and this mode is used to scan for and map ground returns.

I think you misunderstood what the issue is here.

no matter where the nose is pointed it will always scan the ground, when in some cases it is not physically possible to turn the antenna to the ground while the nose is pointed 85 degrees up. Like in this image:

Edited Monday at 07:50 PM by Furiz

[Ivandrov]

4 hours ago, Furiz said:

I think you misunderstood what the issue is here.

no matter where the nose is pointed it will always scan the ground, when in some cases it is not physically possible to turn the antenna to the ground while the nose is pointed 85 degrees up. Like in this image:

This is the issue presented in the linked topic. There's no mention of any kind of nose angle in OP's original post.

Also that was a reply to a flippant comment.

 

As far as any updates to the A2G radar goes. They are likely very low priority as neither most players nor the real life pilots seemed to like to use it.

Edited yesterday at 12:30 AM by Ivandrov

[RogueSpecterGaming]

4 hours ago, Furiz said:

I think you misunderstood what the issue is here.

no matter where the nose is pointed it will always scan the ground, when in some cases it is not physically possible to turn the antenna to the ground while the nose is pointed 85 degrees up. Like in this image:

Yeah, that's weird. Lmao maybe we will get better simulation in the future. 

[Skrzatek]

14 hours ago, Ivandrov said:

There's no mention of any kind of nose angle in OP's original post.

From my post: "Antenna elevation doesn't affect the image (but antenna azimuth does), and the radar scans the entire area in front of the aircraft and directly below it simultaneously."

Current F-16's "A-G radar" scans the whole ground, no matter what is the antenna elevation (it can even point up into sky). Scanning terrain while in high pitch angles is related to this behaviour.

[TobiasA]

DBSP2 can even scan outside of the scan volume in some cases when entered before the target went out of scope.

[skywalker22]

On 8/25/2025 at 9:31 PM, Furiz said:

I think you misunderstood what the issue is here.

no matter where the nose is pointed it will always scan the ground, when in some cases it is not physically possible to turn the antenna to the ground while the nose is pointed 85 degrees up. Like in this image:

What do you mean it always scans the ground? This can't be, radar doesn't know what the ground is. It is scanning what the radar sees in it's the gimbal limits (120deg vertical and horizontal), and no matter where the aircraft is pointing. And based on what is sees, it maps on the MFD. If sky, it's all black, same as the sea, all else has some different gray color variations. 

The question is where is the radar pointed when in Ground mode?! In A2A you can manually set where does it look, by changing elevation, but in the A2G? Is it pointed straight ahead, is it level with the aircraft, or is it pointing downwards, towards the ground, if so whats the angle (based on level flight, or based on aircraft direction) - before applying any filters?

Maybe @RogueSpecterGaming can exapin in more professional way. 

Edited 6 hours ago by skywalker22

[RogueSpecterGaming]

49 minutes ago, skywalker22 said:

What do you mean it always scans the ground? This can't be, radar doesn't know what the ground is. It is scanning what the radar sees in it's the gimbal limits (120deg vertical and horizontal), and no matter where the aircraft is pointing. And based on what is sees, it maps on the MFD. If sky, it's all black, same as the sea, all else has some different gray color variations. 

The question is where is the radar pointed when in Ground mode?! In A2A you can manually set where does it look, by changing elevation, but in the A2G? Is it pointed straight ahead, is it level with the aircraft, or is it pointing downwards, towards the ground, if so whats the angle (based on level flight, or based on aircraft direction) - before applying any filters?

Maybe @RogueSpecterGaming can exapin in more professional way. 

He was just explaining in more detail what the issue is. He isn't saying it should be able to present an image while pointing towards the sky. He is saying it shouldn't and provides examples of it doing what it should not be able to. 

 

This issue has to deal with how ED modelled the A-G radar function of the jet. And I am sure they are tracking.

 

Edit: not sure why it posted the same thing twice.

Edited 6 hours ago by RogueSpecterGaming