Radar domes protect radar equipment from the elements and people from rotating antennas. Radar devices use radio waves to identify objects and often require large dishes. Radar domes also protect dishes and electronics from dirt, rain, and ice. They keep people away from moving dishes and optimize surfaces exposed to air friction. Aircraft use streamlined enclosures to protect onboard radar equipment.
A radar dome is a spherical shell that encloses a radar device. Radar domes are often used to protect sensitive radar equipment from the elements. They can also be used to protect people working in the area of rotating radar antennas. In radar systems used for surveillance, a dome may be installed to deliberately obscure the scanning direction of the radar. Aircraft equipped with an external radar attachment use a radar dome to optimize surfaces exposed to air friction.
Radar devices can be used to identify the distance, direction and speed of physical objects that may not be visible to the naked eye. Air traffic control and weather forecasters routinely use radar devices to scan the skies. Radar works by sending a radio wave, a form of electromagnetic radiation, towards an object and then waiting for the signal to recover. The signal return delay indicates the distance to an object in the scan direction. Changes in signal frequency specify the relative speed of the object.
To pick up some of the returning radio waves, which are reflected in all directions by objects, radar devices often need to use a very large radar dish. The dish directs incoming radio waves to a receiver, where they can be analyzed. However, radar antennas typically need to be free from dirt, rain and ice to function properly. It may also be necessary to stand still and thus be protected from the wind. Providing this type of protection to radar dishes and their associated electronics is a function of the radar dome.
Radar devices that use dishes should be pointed in the direction of interest. Many applications of radar technology require coverage in all directions; this is understandable in the case of air traffic control. Therefore, many radar devices are able to rotate to aim in a specific direction. This movement, which can be rapid, can pose a danger to people in the vicinity of the moving radar dish. Keeping people away from a moving dish is another function of the radar dome.
Some aircraft use onboard radar technology to scan airspaces and identify objects on the ground at night. The equipment, which is mounted on the outside of an aircraft, wouldn’t be very aerodynamic without an enclosure surrounding it. Such an enclosure may resemble half of a radar dome, but is more likely to adopt the highly streamlined teardrop shape. Without a smooth, streamlined envelope, air friction would slow down an aircraft as well as place excessive mechanical stress on radar equipment.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
