science

Searchwater

Searchwater is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Searchwater rather than just read about it. In short: Searchwater was a maritime surveillance radar developed by Thorn EMI under project P1149. This type of radar has been in service with the Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Nimrod aboard the MR2 variant since the 1970s.

Key takeaways

Searchwater belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Searchwater to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Searchwater from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Searchwater was a maritime surveillance radar developed by Thorn EMI under project P1149. This type of radar has been in service with the Royal Air Force Hawker Siddeley Nimrod aboard the MR2 variant since the 1970s. The retirement of the Royal Navy's fleet carriers in 1978 meant that the airborne early warning (AEW) capable Fairey Gannet was also withdrawn from service. During the Falklands War, a number of warships were lost due to the lack of an indigenous AEW presence. Consequently, a greatly accelerated project was started to equip Westland Sea King helicopters with a slightly modified version of the system known as Searchwater LAST (Low Altitude Surveillance Task). The radome was mounted in a distinctive inverted cupola on a swivel arm attached to the right side of the fuselage just aft of the main door. This arm allowed the helicopter to lower the radar below the fuselage in flight and to raise it for landing. Searchwater was retired from service when the last of the Royal Navy's airborne early warning Sea King helicopters were taken out of service in 2018. The Searchwater system was subsequently replaced in the Royal Navy by the new Crowsnest system. Searchwater radar was developed by the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment and EMI (later Thorn Sensors Group). Racal Radar Defence Systems acquired Searchwater in 1995. Thorn and Racal merged to form Racal-Thorn Defence.

Variants Searchwater: the first model of the family, basic anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare (ASW/AsuW) radar without air-to-air capability, installed on board Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 ASW aircraft. Searchwater AEW: Also known as Searchwater LAST (Low Altitude Surveillance Task), the AEW version for helicopters as a lesson learned from the Falklands War. Skymaster: Development of Searchwater AEW/LAST, combining the air-to-surface capability of the original Searchwater and the air-to-air capability of Searchwater AEW/LAST. Developed as the radar for Argus-2000 AEW&C system to be installed on British Aerospace Nimrod AEW3. which was eventually cancelled. However, 6 complete Argus-2000 AEW&C systems plus two more Skymaster radar as spares were purchased by China in 1997 for 66 million US dollars. The experienced gained from Skymaster/Argus-2000 program despite its eventual cancellation has been used in the modernization of other models of Searchwater radars. Searchwater 2000: Upgrade package of Searchwater series including the integration of Link 11 and Link 16, faster computers and advanced operator console with coloured display. Installed on Sea King Mk 7 and successfully deployed in Afghanistan with over a thousand missions performed. Searchwater 2000 AEW: latest AEW model of Searchwater radars developed from Skymaster and Searchwater 2000, with the incorporation of moving target indication (MTI), compatibility with Link 22, and improved capability in littoral water. Searchwater 2000 MR: Intended for the cancelled BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4; it has synthetic aperture radar and inverse synthetic aperture radar modes. Searchwater ASaC: Latest member of Searchwater radar family with ground moving target indication capability added, specifically designed for AEW&C applications over land and sea.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Searchwater

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Searchwater claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Searchwater before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Searchwater ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Searchwater

In research: Searchwater appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Searchwater in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Searchwater is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aircraft radars, Military equipment introduced in the 1970s, Military radars of the United Kingdom, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Searchwater outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Searchwater in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Searchwater means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Searchwater out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Searchwater in simple terms?

Why does Searchwater matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Searchwater?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Searchwater.