In radar, how is the direction of a detected object determined?

• A. By the position of the rotating antenna when the reflected portion of the radio wave is received
• B. By the object's altitude
• C. By the color of the object
• D. By the Doppler shift

Answer: (A)

The direction of a detected object comes from where the radar antenna is pointing when the echo returns. The radar sends a beam that sweeps as the antenna rotates, so the bearing shown on the display corresponds to the antenna’s angle at the moment the reflected signal is received (linking the echo to a particular direction). This is what allows a target to be plotted at a specific azimuth on the display. Altitude, color, or Doppler shift don’t determine horizontal direction: altitude isn’t used for bearing, color is irrelevant, and Doppler shift relates to relative speed along the line of sight, not where the object is located in the sky.