Laser radar improvements

Laser radar with higher accuracy and more precise resolution than microwave radar is receiving renewed attention from electronics designers. This interest coincides with the emergence of carbon-dioxide lasers in sman, high-power packages. Once limited to simple applications, such as range finding, or to large, one-of-a-kind uses, such as satellite tracking, laser radars are now being seriously considered for a variety of military and civilian applications including: • Aircraft navigation systems. • Fire-control systems for armored vehicles and aircraft. • Missile guidance. • Line-of-sight command systems for missiles and rockets. • Equipment for research on severe storms. • Instruments for surveying sites for wind turbines. • Clear-air turbulence monitors for aircraft.