Height finder

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Ground device to measure aircraft altitude

title: "Height finder" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["radar"] description: "Ground device to measure aircraft altitude" topic_path: "general/radar" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Height_finder" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Ground device to measure aircraft altitude ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/MVAFS_1973_Radar_2.jpg" caption="AN/FPS-6]] using [[fan-beam antenna]] (1973).}}"] ::

A height finder is a ground-based aircraft altitude measuring device. Early height finders were optical range finder devices combined with simple mechanical computers, while later systems migrated to radar devices. The unique vertical oscillating motion of height finder radars led to them also being known as nodding radar. Devices combining both optics and radar were deployed by the U.S. Military.{{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 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070527123247/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/radar-6.htm |archivedate=2007-05-27

Optical

In World War II, a height finder was an optical rangefinder used to determine the altitude of an aircraft (actually the slant range from the emplacement which was combined with the angle of sight, in a mechanical computer, to produce altitude), used to direct anti-aircraft guns.{{cite 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 | 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

Radar

A height finder radar is a type of 2-dimensional radar that measures altitude of a target.

The operator slews the antenna toward a desired bearing, identifies a target echo at a desired range on the range height indicator display, then bisects the target with a cursor that is scaled to indicate the approximate altitude of the target.{{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

Modern 3D radar sets find both azimuth and elevation, making separate height finder radars largely obsolete.

References

References

  1. [http://www.maritime.org/doc/br224/part4.htm#par415 The Gunnery Pocket Book, paragraph 428.]
  2. [http://jante.ru/book/Vavilov/VavilovSavostyanova_t2_1948ru-sel-151-200%20-%200045.htm]{{in lang. ru
  3. [http://avkrasn.com/article-764.html] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-08-16 {{in lang). ru

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