Vertical Beam Width does what on a radar system?

• A. Affects sea surface clutter
• B. Covers sea surface (15-30 degrees)
• C. Determines target range
• D. Changes bearing accuracy

Answer: (B)

Vertical beam width is the angular extent of the radar beam in the elevation (vertical) plane, so it defines how tall a slice of the sea surface the radar illuminates at once. When the beam width is about 15–30 degrees, the radar covers a vertical swath of sea surface in front of the ship within that elevation range, which is why it’s described as covering the sea surface. Range is still determined by the time delay of the returned pulse, and bearing accuracy is set by horizontal pointing and geometry, not the vertical width. So the main effect of vertical beam width is establishing the vertical footprint or coverage of the sea surface.