Can military radar detect low flying aircraft?

Military radars try to be on as high a point as possible to extend their range. Low flying aircraft merge with the ground clutter (radar beams reflecting from ground obstacles such as hills, tall buildings, etc.) close to a radar site and are therefore much harder to pick up.



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What height does radar pick up planes? But as mentioned above, MLAT coverage is limited to some areas with many FR24 receivers and can normally only be achieved at altitudes above about 3,000-10,000 feet, which means that general aviation at lower altitudes may be flying below MLAT coverage.

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In the case of MH370, the authorities believe that the primary transponder was turned off, and the backup didn't activate. In any case, once an aircraft is more than 240km (150 miles) out to sea, radar coverage fades and air crew keep in touch with air traffic control and other aircraft using high-frequency radio.

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Restricted aircraft Operators of private or sensitive aircraft may request their tracking details be restricted or not displayed. Generally, aircraft requesting that they not be displayed on Flightradar24 are military aircraft. Some military aircraft, such as various transport aircraft, are visible.

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According to an interview with Richard Taylor of the CAA in Traveller, there are laws in place that dictate aircraft must not fly below 1,000 feet over a built-up area, or 500 feet over any person, vehicle or structure.

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In aviation, the rule of three or 3:1 rule of descent is a rule of thumb that 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) of travel should be allowed for every 1,000 feet (300 m) of descent.

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Where are the military planes on Flightradar24? FR24 filters out most of them, although recently I've noticed that a few get through. There are other similar sites such as adsbexchange that show them. Any airplane using ADS-B will show up on Flt Radar24.

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Red: When an aircraft is displayed as red that means that you are currently following that specific aircraft on the map or that an emergency squawk is on for this aircraft.

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Blue: Aircraft displayed as blue icons are currently being tracked via satellite. Satellites are collecting the ADS-B signals from aircraft and transmitting them to the Flightradar24 network.

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