Radar & Optical Horizon

Horizon distance - how far a radar or an observer can see - as a function of antenna/eye height.

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This calculator requires JavaScript to compute its result. The formula, symbols, and regulatory sources are shown in the Formula section below.

Formula, assumptions, and limits

d_\text{radar} \approx 2.23 \sqrt{h}, \quad d_\text{optical} \approx 2.072 \sqrt{h}

Symbol	Meaning	Unit
$h$	Height above sea level	m
$d$	Horizon distance	nm

Source: IEC 62388 - Radar performance; Bowditch Ch.13

Horizon distance - how far a radar or an observer can see - as a function of antenna/eye height.