Which statement best describes the operation of a pulse radar system?

Which statement best describes the operation of a pulse radar system?

• A. It detects and tracks on a range basis
• B. It detects and tracks on a velocity basis
• C. It detects only range
• D. It tracks only velocity

Answer: (A)

Pulse radar works by sending a short pulse and measuring how long it takes for the echo to return. That round-trip time is converted into distance, giving you the range to the target. By repeating this process, the radar updates that range over time, so it can track where the target is along the range axis. Velocity information isn’t part of the basic pulse operation; measuring how fast the target moves requires Doppler processing, which is a separate capability (and is not inherent to a simple pulse-only radar). So the statement that best describes a pulse radar’s operation is that it detects and tracks on a range basis. The other options either emphasize velocity (which typically needs Doppler) or omit the tracking of range, which is central to how a pulse radar functions.

Pulse radar works by sending a short pulse and measuring how long it takes for the echo to return. That round-trip time is converted into distance, giving you the range to the target. By repeating this process, the radar updates that range over time, so it can track where the target is along the range axis. Velocity information isn’t part of the basic pulse operation; measuring how fast the target moves requires Doppler processing, which is a separate capability (and is not inherent to a simple pulse-only radar). So the statement that best describes a pulse radar’s operation is that it detects and tracks on a range basis. The other options either emphasize velocity (which typically needs Doppler) or omit the tracking of range, which is central to how a pulse radar functions.