🔍 Key Concepts

• SART (Search and Rescue Transponder) operating in the 9 GHz / 3 cm radar band • Effect of aircraft altitude on radar horizon and detection range • Typical maximum detection range values specified in SOLAS for SART performance

💭 Think About

• Think about whether a SART is meant to be detected at very long ranges or mainly in the local search area. • Compare the aircraft altitude (about 3,000 feet) with the practical radar horizon and ask: is detection more likely to be on the order of tens, hundreds, or hundreds of miles? • Consider which options are clearly unrealistic when you think about how far a small radar target can be seen, even from an aircraft.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify from training material or SOLAS performance standards the typical maximum range at which a 9 GHz radar can detect a SART from an aircraft. • Check your sense of scale: a commercial airliner’s weather radar or ship’s X‑band radar usually does not detect small targets at hundreds of miles—does that help eliminate some choices? • Confirm that the correct choice should be in the range of practical search radius for a SAR (search and rescue) aircraft using X‑band radar.