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Difference between Radar and Sonar
Both RADAR and SONAR are systems used for the detection of objects. Therefore, the primary function of a RADAR and a SONAR is the same, however both use different technologies. Read through this article to find out the major differences between RADAR and SONAR. Let's start with some basics of RADAR and SONAR.
What is RADAR?
RADAR stands for Radio Detection and Ranging. The RADAR is the technology used for detecting objects such as aircrafts, ships, space-crafts, guided missiles, weather formations, etc. by the use of radio waves.
A RADAR measures the distance, angle and radial velocity of an object with respect to the site. A typical RADAR system consists of a transmitter, transmitting antenna, receiving antenna, receiver and processor. The transmitter produces electromagnetic waves in the range of radio waves or microwaves, these electromagnetic waves reflected by the object and return to the receiver, and give the information about the location and speed of the object. A typical RADAR system is able to transmit electromagnetic waves at speed of about 3 × 108 m/s in air.
What is SONAR?
SONAR stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging. The SONAR is also a detection system that uses propagation of sound waves for navigation and measuring distances on or under the surface of water.
A typical SONAR system uses sound waves whose frequency range is about 10 kHz to 50 kHz. In the SONAR, the sounds waves emitted by or reflected from an object is detected by the SONAR system and are processed for the information they contain.
The SONAR system is classified into major three types as −
Active SONAR − In case of active SONAR system, an acoustic projector emits a sound wave that is reflected back by a target object. The receiver of the system catches and processes the reflected wave and determine the distance, relative motion, etc. of the target object.
Passive SONAR − In the passive SONAR system, there is only a receiving system that picks up the noise signals produced by the target object and then processes these waves to determine the direction, distance, etc.
Acoustic Communication System − This SONAR system requires a transmitter and receiver at both ends of the acoustic path.
Difference between RADAR and SONAR
Both RADAR and SONAR are object detection systems. However, there are several differences between RADAR and SONAR that are highlighted in the following table −
| Basis of Difference | RADAR | SONAR |
|---|---|---|
| Full form | RADAR stands for Radio Detection and Ranging. | SONAR stands for Sound Navigation and Ranging. |
| Description | RADAR is a detection and ranging system that uses electromagnetic wave (radio or micro waves) to detect the objects. | SONAR is a detection system that uses sound waves to detect the objects. |
| Types of waves | RADAR uses radio wave for its operation. | SONAR uses sound wave for its operation. |
| Frequency range | Most practical RADAR systems operate between 400 MHz to 36 GHz. | The frequency range of waves used in SONAR system is usually ranging from 1 kHz to 100 kHz. |
| Maximum range | For a typical RADAR system, the maximum range is about 100 km to 3700 km. Hence, RADAR support comparatively greater range. | The maximum operational range of a typical SONAR is about 400 km. Thus, SONAR supports lower range than RADAR. |
| Speed of signal | The speed of RADAR signal is 3 × 108 m/s. | The speed of SONAR signal through water is about 1500 m/s. |
| Effect of Electronic countermeasures | RADAR may be affected by electronic countermeasures. | SONAR is not affected by electronic countermeasures. |
| Types | The two major types of RADAR are: Continuous Wave (CW) RADAR and Pulse RADAR. | The two major types of SONAR are: Active SONAR and Passive SONAR. |
| Applications | RADAR is widely used in many applications like military, space, aircraft navigation, ship navigation, air traffic control,remote sensing of environment, etc. | The applications of SONAR include: fish finding, locating mines, locating underwater hazards, underwater communication between ships and submarines, medical imaging, enemy vessels detection, etc. |
Conclusion
The most significant difference between a RADAR and a SONAR is that a RADAR uses electromagnetic radio waves for operation, whereas a SONAR uses sound waves.
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