Monopulse Radar

An experimental monopulse radar system. To overcome the angular limitation of existing radars, the monopulse radar, developed by the NRL in 1943, provided a tenfold improvement in angular accuracy over that previously attainable in the training and pointing of fire and missile control radars at the longer ranges. In 1943, NRL developed monopulse radar, now the basis for all modern tracking and missile control radars. The monopulse technique was first applied to the Nike-Ajax missile system, which at the time was the nation's continental air defense system. Monopulse radar eventually led to the development of the AN/FPS-16, the first high-precision monopulse instrumentation radar. In 1958, this radar was used to guide the launchings of the first U.S. space satellites at Cape Canaveral. Monopulse radar is still the most widely used technique for military tracking radar because of its high accuracy and relative immunity to electronic countermeasures that degrade other tracking methods.