On a primary surveillance radar display, what do bearing and range refer to?

• A. Bearing is the distance to the target.
• B. Bearing is the direction to the target; range is the distance to the target.
• C. Bearing is the altitude; range is the speed.
• D. Bearing is the direction to the target; range is the altitude to the target.

Answer: (B)

On a primary surveillance radar display, bearing and range give you the target’s location as polar coordinates relative to the radar site. Bearing is the direction from the radar to the target, an azimuth angle (typically measured clockwise from a reference like north). Range is the straight-line distance from the radar to the target, derived from the round-trip travel time of the radar pulse and usually read in nautical miles.

This pairing lets you plot where the target sits on the screen: angle around the center for direction, and distance from the center for how far away.

The other interpretations mix up what each measurement represents: bearing is not the distance, and range is not altitude or speed. Altitude is not shown on a primary radar’s bearing–range display.