Dwell time (radar) explained

Dwell time (T_D) in surveillance radar is the time that an antenna beam spends on a target.^[1] The dwell time of a 2D–search radar depends predominantly on

• the antenna's horizontal beam width θ_AZ, and
• the turn speed n of the antenna (in rotations per minute or rpm, i.e. 360 degrees in 60 seconds = multiplied by a factor of 6).

Dwell time is calculated by:

T _{D} = (\theta _{AZ})/(6 ⋅ n) (inseconds)

A block of constant PRF and coherently phased RF pulses, is referred to as a coherent dwell interval or coherent dwell time.^[2]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dwell Time and Hits Per Scan. Radartutorial.
2. P.E. Rademacher; B.H. Cantrell; G.C. Tavik, Clutter filtering and processing techniques for EMI detection and angle measurement in pulse Doppler radars, 2021,