“What is the range of your radar?” and other questions not to ask the radar engineer

This discusses some of the problematic areas that have been encountered over recent years at DERA, Malvern, when specifying the performance of radar systems for long range air defence, and when discussing the systems with colleagues, customers and industry. It must be stressed that there is absolutely no novel material in this paper, and much of what is covered can be found through careful reading of the standard radar textbooks. The aim of this paper, therefore, is simply to gather together in one document some of the issues to bear in mind when discussing the performance of modern, ground based, radar systems. Whilst much of this paper will appear obvious to the seasoned radar engineer, it is hoped that it will prove useful to those new to the field, and also to those engaged in modelling radar within wider systems or for those involved in procuring radar systems, who may not always be familiar with the details