REMOTE AIRBORNE TELEVISION DISPLAY OF GROUND RADAR COVERAGE VIA TACAN (RATAC),

Abstract

The purpose of this flight test program was to test the feasibility of a remote airborne television display of ground radar coverage via a TACAN (RATAC) data link. This equipment was designed to give the pilot the same radar information seen by the ground radar station operator. With the aid of radar maps and different radar beacon modes, the pilot is able to identify his own aircraft radar target and navigate through a given airspace without the use of ground radar control. He is also capable of confirming the existence of other aircraft radar targets in his vicinity to a radar control station. Printed matter in the form of Alpha Numerics were also transmitted to the aircraft to demonstrate the feasibility of passing on to the pilot such instructions as flight clearances, weather information, and other NOTAMS as may be necessary. Flight tests made on the RATAC program demonstrated that the equipment is feasible, but it had some limitations which can be corrected. These limitations were caused by unfavorable television transmitter characteristics such as poor frequency stability and non-linearity in the amplitude modulation of the radio frequency carrier wave. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1963
Accession Number
AD0422426

Entities

People

  • Bert W. Sullivan

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Airborne
  • Aircrafts
  • Amplitude Modulation
  • Beacons
  • Carrier Waves
  • Communication Equipment
  • Data Links
  • Frequency
  • Modulation
  • Radar
  • Radar Beacons
  • Radar Equipment
  • Radar Stations
  • Radar Targets
  • Radio Frequency
  • Television Transmitters
  • Transmitters

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Aviation Safety and Air Traffic Management
  • Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Satellites