- Height finder
A height finder is a ground based aircraft altitude measuring device.
Technology
Early height finder implementations were optical devices and later migrated to radar devices. Devices combining both optics and radar were deployed by the
United States Navy [cite web
url = http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/radar-6.htm
title = Anti-Aircraft Fire Control Sets
publisher = Department Of The Navy - Naval Historical Center
accessdate = 2007-08-04] .Optical
In WWII, a height finder was a stereoscopic optical device used to determine the altitude of an aircraft (actually the distance from the emplacement), used to direct anti-aircraft gunscite web
url = http://www.ftmac.org/M2Project.htm
title = Status Update for the M2 Height Finder Project
publisher = Fort MacArthur Museum Association
accessdate = 2007-08-04] . Examples of American and Japanese [cite web
url = http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt/japanese-height-finder-artillery.html
title = Japanese Height Finder
date =December 2 1943
work = Tactical and Technical Trends
publisher = U.S. Military Intelligence Service
accessdate = 2007-08-04] versions exist, certainly a German and Russian version exist.fact|date=August 2007Radar
A height finder is a type of
2-dimensional radar that measuresaltitude and direction of targets [cite web
url = http://www.radomes.org/museum/equip/radarequip.php?link=fps-6.html
title = AN/FPS-6, 6A, 6B & AN/MPS-14
work = Online Air Defense Radar Museum
publisher = Radomes, Inc.
accessdate = 2007-08-04] , but "not" theirdistance from the radar.fact|date=August 2007 Such systems often complement 2-dimensional radars which find distance and direction (search radar), thus using 2 2-dimensional systems to obtain a 3-dimensional aerial picture.fact|date=August 2007 Height finding radars of the 1960s and 70s were distinguished by their antenna being more tall than wide.Modern radar sets have 3-dimensional capability making height finder radars largely obsolete.fact|date=August 2007
ee also
*
Radar References
External links
* [http://www.uni-ulm.de/~s_mlomni/S-200 A page about a type of height finders found in surface-to-air missile sites (German)]
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