Definition

Noun: A shipboard radar system whose primary function is to detect and locate aircraft. It scans the skies to provide early warning and tracking information about airborne objects.

Usage

This term is a specific technical compound noun. It is used to describe a particular class of radar equipment installed on ships. * The destroyer's air search radar detected incoming planes over 100 miles away. * Modern naval vessels are equipped with both air search radar and surface search radar systems.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in military, naval, and maritime contexts to distinguish this radar's role from other types like or .
• It can be part of a larger system description: "The integrated combat system relies on data from the primary air search radar."

Variants and Related Words

• Radar (n): The general technology for detecting objects using radio waves.
• Surface-search radar (n): A shipboard radar designed to detect surface vessels and low-flying objects.
• Early-warning radar (n): A broader category that includes land-based and airborne systems with a similar detection role.

Synonyms

• Air surveillance radar (n): A very close synonym emphasizing the monitoring function.
• Aircraft detection radar (n): A more descriptive synonym focusing on the core task.

Notes

• 'Air search radar' is a fixed compound noun. Its meaning is specific and technical, referring to the complete system or device.
• It is not typically used in idiomatic expressions or as a phrasal verb due to its highly specialized nature.

Noun

1. a shipboard radar that searches for aircraft