Meteorological radar-USA Aircraft Group Corporation

Date: 2025/12/6

Weather Radar is a key system used to detect, identify and avoid dangerous weather on aircraft. Its main functions are as follows:

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1. Detect dangerous weather

· Precipitation intensity: Radar emits electromagnetic waves to judge the precipitation area and its intensity by analyzing the reflected signal intensity of precipitation particles (rain, snow, hail), and display it in different colors (such as green is light rain, red is heavy rain).

· Thunderstorms and turbulence: It can detect water droplets and ice crystals in thunderstorm clouds, and indirectly identify possible turbulent currents (especially bumps associated with strong convection).

· Hail and freezing rain: Strong reflective areas may imply hail or cold water droplets, helping pilots avoid areas that may freeze.

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2. Plan a safe route

· Pilots use real-time radar images to adjust the route to avoid dangerous weather and reduce the risk of bumps, icing or lightning strikes.

· In long-distance flights, radar can detect the weather hundreds of kilometers ahead in advance, providing a time window for the decision to change the route (usually the detection range is about 320-480 kilometers).

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3. Identify terrain and micro-explosive flow

· Terrain mapping mode: Some radars have the function of terrain scanning, which can assist in identifying geographical features such as mountain ranges at night or with low visibility.

· Wind shear warning: Advanced radars (such as predictive wind shear systems) can detect low-altitude wind shear or micro-explosion near the airport and issue alarms in time.

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4. Ensure flight efficiency and comfort

· Reduce severe bumps and improve passenger comfort by avoiding bad weather.

· Avoid detouring too far, optimize fuel efficiency, and reduce operating costs.

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Technical characteristics and limitations

· Operating frequency: usually use the X band (wavelength about 3 cm) to balance the detection accuracy and attenuation characteristics.

· Scanning angle: The radar antenna is installed on the head, and the pitch angle can be manually or automatically adjusted to scan the front sector area.

· Limitations:

· It is impossible to directly detect clear sky turbulent (no precipitation turbulent) or fog and clouds (no large particles).

· The signal may be attenuated by heavy rainfall (the weather in the distance is blocked), which needs to be judged comprehensively in combination with satellite data and ground meteorological reports.

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Modern development

· Doppler radar: It can analyze the movement speed of precipitation particles and directly detect turbulent and wind shear.

· Three-dimensional meteorological radar: provide three-dimensional weather images to enhance the analysis ability of storm structure.

· Data integration: combined with the on-board satellite meteorological system (such as Honeywell IR satellite) to achieve global coverage and make up for the radar blind spot.

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Pilot's operation

· Pilots need to adjust the radar gain and scanning angle according to the weather dynamics, and make comprehensive decisions in combination with visual observation and air traffic control notification.

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Sum up

Aviation meteorological radar is the "eye" of flight safety. Its core function is to detect and avoid dangerous weather in advance to ensure the safe and efficient operation of flights in complex meteorological environments. With the advancement of technology, its detection accuracy and intelligence continue to improve.