BobbyG
New member
- Dec 29, 2009
- 13,211
- 0
Here are a couple of things non-pilots might not know about radar.
There is ‘primary’ radar and there is ‘secondary’ radar.
Primary radar consists of echos passively reflected from an object (in this case an aircraft). A burst of UHF RF is transmitted by a radar facility, bounces off any aircraft that it is pointed to, and the echo is received back at the radar facility. The time it takes the echo to return determines the distance to the aircraft. The direction the radar antenna was pointed determines direction to the aircraft. There is generally no altitude determined.
Secondary radar is a completely different thing. Secondary radar is accomplished by an active transmission from an aircraft. A radar facility transmits a request for aircraft to identify. A transponder on the aircraft responds with the aircraft’s assigned 4-digit octal ‘squawk’ code, usually its altitude, and sometimes other information determining on the capabilities of the transponder. Computers at the radar facility pair primary echoes with secondary responses.
Virtually ALL aircraft have transponders. Yes, even virtually all private aircraft. BUT, an aircraft does not need transponders in order to be visible on radar.
In the case of MH370 – The reported loss of secondary radar response, while primary response continued, is very significant. It suggests that somebody, or something, switched off the transponder and continued flying the airplane which was seen for a while longer by primary radar. That’s really odd.
A hijacking comes to mind, either by onboard and aircraft-knowledgeable people or by electronics. There is a specific ‘squawk’ code that a pilot dials into a transponder to silently tell ATC facilities that the aircraft has been hijacked. Since that reportedly did not happen, if the airplane was hijacked then whoever or whatever hijacked it knew enough to turn off the transponder.
Could the airplane have been hijacked by a someone not on board, by electronics? Absolutely yes. Most Boeing 757, 767, 777, and 787 aircraft are wired to be controlled from the ground in the event of a hijacking. (I won’t comment here on the implications for 9/11.)
What could make a plane disappear from civilian radar while at 36,000 feet yet still be visible on military radar? ONE THING, and it looks like a UFO (as some have speculated) only it’s attached to a Boeing jet – the antenna on a U.S. Air Force AWACS plane.
The fact that this missing jet vanished from civilian radar yet remained visible on more robust military radars proves well enough for me that this indeed was an AWACS hijacking.
In this scenario, we now have: The Malaysian military tracked this plane with military radar indicating the plane did a u-turn and flew the other way for a now admitted full hour. THAT supports the AWAC's story.
Hijacked by an AWAC's, or from the ground, or from a Navy ship? Very possible indeed!
There is ‘primary’ radar and there is ‘secondary’ radar.
Primary radar consists of echos passively reflected from an object (in this case an aircraft). A burst of UHF RF is transmitted by a radar facility, bounces off any aircraft that it is pointed to, and the echo is received back at the radar facility. The time it takes the echo to return determines the distance to the aircraft. The direction the radar antenna was pointed determines direction to the aircraft. There is generally no altitude determined.
Secondary radar is a completely different thing. Secondary radar is accomplished by an active transmission from an aircraft. A radar facility transmits a request for aircraft to identify. A transponder on the aircraft responds with the aircraft’s assigned 4-digit octal ‘squawk’ code, usually its altitude, and sometimes other information determining on the capabilities of the transponder. Computers at the radar facility pair primary echoes with secondary responses.
Virtually ALL aircraft have transponders. Yes, even virtually all private aircraft. BUT, an aircraft does not need transponders in order to be visible on radar.
In the case of MH370 – The reported loss of secondary radar response, while primary response continued, is very significant. It suggests that somebody, or something, switched off the transponder and continued flying the airplane which was seen for a while longer by primary radar. That’s really odd.
A hijacking comes to mind, either by onboard and aircraft-knowledgeable people or by electronics. There is a specific ‘squawk’ code that a pilot dials into a transponder to silently tell ATC facilities that the aircraft has been hijacked. Since that reportedly did not happen, if the airplane was hijacked then whoever or whatever hijacked it knew enough to turn off the transponder.
Could the airplane have been hijacked by a someone not on board, by electronics? Absolutely yes. Most Boeing 757, 767, 777, and 787 aircraft are wired to be controlled from the ground in the event of a hijacking. (I won’t comment here on the implications for 9/11.)
What could make a plane disappear from civilian radar while at 36,000 feet yet still be visible on military radar? ONE THING, and it looks like a UFO (as some have speculated) only it’s attached to a Boeing jet – the antenna on a U.S. Air Force AWACS plane.
The fact that this missing jet vanished from civilian radar yet remained visible on more robust military radars proves well enough for me that this indeed was an AWACS hijacking.
In this scenario, we now have: The Malaysian military tracked this plane with military radar indicating the plane did a u-turn and flew the other way for a now admitted full hour. THAT supports the AWAC's story.
Hijacked by an AWAC's, or from the ground, or from a Navy ship? Very possible indeed!
