In movies and video games, fighter jets and other similar vehicles need to chase their opponent and have them in target long enough to get a lock on, but why can’t they just be in range if radar works in all directions? Do they need to chase opponents like this in real life?

Question

In movies and video games, fighter jets and other similar vehicles need to chase their opponent and have them in target long enough to get a lock on, but why can’t they just be in range if radar works in all directions? Do they need to chase opponents like this in real life?

In: Technology

Answer 1

I definitely do not know all the details here, but a factor that doesn’t seem to be accounted for is shared knowledge. Each aircraft has it’s own radar system, but I would guess rarely are they flying alone. Having multiple radar sources allows significantly better triangulation capability.

Again, I don’t know all the details, but suffice to say, if there are multiple sources that can communicate with each other, there is a pronounced strategic advantage through improved radar visibility.