Question on Airborne SS Radar

[Onkle Karl]

I have a SH-60B Block 0 Seahawk that lights its APS-124 SS radar from medium altitude attempting to find a Large surface contact.  The radar LOS from the chart on pg 5-3 of the rules indicates that the maximum LOS is 175nm.  The APS-124 maximum range for a large target is 160nm - so, 160nm is the maximum detection range.  Section 5.2.5 of the rules for Airborne Surface Search Radars (SS) states that "these radars will pick up surface contacts and VLow air contacts at one-tenth of normal range".

Question 1 - If I'm reading that correctly the detection range to a large ship will be 16nm (160nm max of the APS-124 SS divided by 10).  Is that correct?

Question 2 - If that's correct, does the 'divided by 10' always get applied to the maximum range of the radar set or applied to the Radar LOS (if it happened to be less than the maximum range of the radar set?

Question 3 - If the airborne SS range is limited to 10% of range versus ships or VLow air contacts when would it ever use it's full range?  i.e. what else is it going to detect other than surface targets?  Land?  I don't think it can pick up any aircraft above VLow...maybe it can.

 

Thanks in advance for the help.

[dylanjones]

I think it is a botch-up in the rules.  It should read "These radars will pick up surface contacts (and VLow air contacts at one-tenth the normal range)".

In other words, the one-tenth thing only applies when you're searching for air contacts at Vlo.

This is sadly a product that hasn't been play-tested and proof-read thoroughly by people who are new to the system - and it shows.

[Onkle Karl]

That makes way more sense.  Thanks.

[kmart494]

Dylan is correct that surface contacts and air contacts are two different things for this rule.  Surface contacts are detected at the radar horizon or the radar's max range, whichever is less.  Air contacts at VLow would be detected at 1/10th the radar's max range.