Define azimuth resolution and its significance in radar.

• A. It is the largest angular separation at which two targets on the same range can be distinguished.
• B. It is the vertical angular separation between two targets on the same range.
• C. It is the smallest angular separation at which two targets along the same range can be distinguished horizontally.
• D. It is the time difference between successive scans.

Answer: (C)

Azimuth resolution is the radar’s ability to distinguish two targets that share the same distance (range) but lie at different horizontal angles. It is defined as the smallest angular separation in the horizontal plane at which two such targets can be resolved as separate returns. This matters because if two targets sit at nearly the same range and their azimuth difference is smaller than the radar’s beamwidth, they will blur together and appear as one target.

In practical terms, the separation you can resolve horizontally at a given range R is about R times the radar’s azimuth beamwidth (the main-lobe width). A smaller beamwidth (larger antenna aperture or higher operating frequency) yields finer azimuth resolution, letting you distinguish targets that are close together in the horizontal direction.

The other concepts don’t fit this definition: the vertical angular separation is elevation (or vertical) resolution, not azimuth; the time difference between scans is temporal resolution; and azimuth resolution is not about the largest, but the smallest, angular separation you can resolve.