The history of airborne radar is almost as old as that of radar itself. The improvement in detection range provided by an airborne platform was realised early during the Second World War, and the development of the cavity magnetron at almost the same time allowed higher radar frequencies and, hence, directive antennas to be used. Nowadays, radars on aircraft have a great variety of functions: from navigation and meteorological purposes, to more specialised purposes on military aircraft associated with surveillance and weapon delivery. Development of processing techniques such as coherent Moving Target Indication and Synthetic Aperture Radar have been matched by huge advances in technology, such as digital processing and solid-state phased arrays. More recent decades have seen the development of satellite-borne radars for geophysical environmental monitoring and surveillance applications.

A book that brings together a detailed theoretical treatment and a systemslevel engineering understanding of the subject is both unusual and of great potential value to the radar community. The structure of the book combines a coverage of the principles of radar with a discussion of different applications and missions, showing how the design of the radar is adapted to each. The final chapters are devoted to a view of future technological developments and the ways that airborne and spaceborne radars may be expected to develop in response to new types of targets and missions. The French radar industry has played a significant role in the development of many of the innovations in airborne and spaceborne radar. The authors of this book are acknowledged as experts in the field and they provide a uniquely European perspective on the subject.

For all of these reasons, this book will be of value to a wide audience, both as a reference to radar engineers and those responsible for the specification and procurement of airborne and spaceborne radar systems, and as a textbook in graduate-level courses on radar.