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Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Height changes the view
Raising the radar or the target generally extends line-of-sight coverage. Terrain can block the path too. This is why a circle drawn around a radar is not a promise that every aircraft inside it will be detected.
The atmosphere matters
Radio waves refract through the atmosphere. Changes in temperature, pressure and humidity with height and across the atmosphere can change that bending. Standard propagation models are useful approximations, not a fixed boundary that every real beam follows.
Keep game and reality separate
These atmospheric effects explain real radar behaviour; Air Defender’s simulation may differ. For a missing in-game track, check the game’s sensor and display state as well.
Sources & further reading
Further reading on the real-world concepts discussed here. These sources do not document Air Defender’s controls or behaviour.