A radar picket is a radar-equipped station, ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a nation or military (including naval) force to protect it from surprise attack, typically air attack, or from criminal activities such as smuggling. By definition a radar picket must be some distance removed from the anticipated targets to be capable of providing early warning. Often several detached radar units would be placed in a ring to encircle a target to provide increased cover in all directions; another approach is to position units to form a barrier line.
Radar picket units may also be equipped to direct friendly aircraft to intercept any possible enemy. In British terminology the radar picket function is called aircraft direction. A ship performing this function is termed a fighter direction ship. Airborne radar pickets are referred to as Airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) or simply airborne early warning (AEW), depending on capabilities.
See also: § Airborne early warning and control systems
In a sense radars intended to track ballistic missiles can be thought of as radar pickets, but because such systems are also used for tracking orbital satellites and space debris the preferred term for them is space domain awareness systems.
A radarpicket is a radar-equipped station, ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a nation or military...
(AEW) was used for earlier similar aircraft used in the less-demanding radarpicket role, such as the Fairey Gannet AEW.3 and Lockheed EC-121 Warning Star...
ahead of the main formation Radarpicket, a radar equipped vehicle on picket duty Picket boat, a small military boat Picket (Polish: pikieta), a slang...
the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, being converted to a radarpicket submarine under project MIGRAINE. Her four stern torpedo tubes were removed...
circumnavigation of the world, executed by the United States Navy nuclear-powered radarpicket submarine USS Triton (SSRN-586) in 1960 under the command of Captain...
War another 36 would be converted. All would be replaced by more modern radar by 1965. During World War II 94 DEs would be converted to High Speed Transports...
type which overlaps somewhat with picket boats Radarpicket, a larger ship or submarine, used to extend the range of radar coverage. Crash boats of World...
she was borrowed by the United States Coast Guard and also served as a radarpicket ship on the Distant Early Warning Line. She was reclassified DER-324...
covering duty in the invasion of Saipan four days later. In addition to radarpicket and screening duty, she was also called upon for inshore fire support...
coastal antisubmarine and radarpicket ship duty. During World War II, seven destroyer escorts (DEs) were converted to radarpicket destroyer escorts (DERs)...
reclassified SSR-272. Recommissioned 9 January 1953, she engaged in radarpicket duty for the next 6 years in American coastal waters, off northern Europe...
of these Liberty ships were converted 1954–1958 into Guardian-class radarpicket ship In preparation for the Normandy landings and afterward to support...