PREFACE 



The basic purpose of this book is to present a balanced treatment of the 

 airborne radar systems design problem. Primary emphasis is placed upon 

 the interplay between radar techniques and components on one hand, and 

 the types of weapons systems which employ airborne radars on the other. 

 Radar design details have been eliminated for the most part except for 

 illustrative examples which show how a design detail can exert an impor- 

 tant influence on the operation of a complete weapons system. 



Although the treatment is directed at airborne radars, this volume will 

 be found extensively applicable to surface radars as well. Since the latter 

 enjoy a less severe environment, especially with regard to relative target 

 motion, stability of platform, and space and weight restrictions, the prin- 

 ciples governing their design will implicitly be covered here. 



Because this book attempts to bridge the gap between the abstractions 

 of overall system design and the hard realities of hardware design, it con- 

 tains material which will interest almost anyone involved in the study, 

 design, or application of airborne radars. For example, although the re- 

 ceiver designer will not learn much that is new to him about circuitry 

 design, he can learn a great deal about how the design of a receiver should 

 be planned for optimum benefit to the overall system. Similarly, engineers 

 and scientists charged with responsibility for monitoring the efi^orts of 

 airborne radar subcontractors can find this book most useful in determin- 

 ing the type of direction they should give to subcontractors to ensure 

 eventual compatibility of the airborne radar with the complete weapons 

 system. 



A particular eflfort has been made to present facts and combinations of 

 facts which have not enjoyed prior publication in book form. This has 

 been done at the expense of excluding a great deal of historical and back- 

 ground information already available in the printed literature. 



This book possesses close ties with two previous volumes in the series: 

 GUIDANCE by A. S. Locke et al. and OPERATIONS RESEARCH, 

 ARMAMENT, LAUNCHING by Grayson Merrill, Harold Goldberg, 

 and Robert H. Helmholz. Radar techniques and problems are presented 

 in greater detail than was possible in GUIDANCE; similarly the problem 

 of translating operational studies into detailed airborne radar requirements 

 is covered in greater detail than was possible in OPERATIONS RE- 

 SEARCH. The basic theme of these earlier volumes — the importance of 

 the systems approach — is continued in this volume. 



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