Airport radar provides information to air traffic controllers on
aircraft in the local air space. Airport radar systems
include:
Primary radar, which uses signals scattered off the bodies of
aircraft to obtain information on their location and altitude.
Secondary radar,
or secondary surveillance radar, which relies on interrogation of transponders
carried by aircraft.
Because secondary surveillance radar uses a transmitter on
board each aircraft, it usually has a much longer range
than primary radar and can usually give a more accurate
indication of an aircraft's altitude.
Other topics in our resources on Radar related to Airport Radar include: