3 ms·

Why didn’t the radar in the A320 see an airplane that was coming towards it?

• dharmab 5y ago
  Civil aircraft generally do not carry their own radars capable of seeing other aircraft. They rely on communication with ground radar, air traffic controllers and other aircraft. Even aircraft that do carry radar may not have a clear picture when low to the ground due to terrain or for safety reasons.
  • na85 5y ago
    Most airliners have TCAS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision_avoidance_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_collision_avoidance_sy...
    • dharmab 5y ago
      Yes, TCAS allows cooperating aircraft to tell each other their position. But it's not required for small aircraft and both aircraft need it for functionality.
      • na85 5y ago
        No, both aircraft don't need it. As long as the traffic has a transponder, TCAS can see it.
• bogantech 5y ago
  AFAIK civilian jets don't have radar. They do have TCAS which uses radio transponders but both aircraft must be using such a system and it isn't required in aircraft that carry less than 10 passengers apparently.
  • cesarb 5y ago
    > AFAIK civilian jets don't have radar. AFAIK, they do, but it's weather radar (to detect things like precipitation and clouds).