What type of radar does the military use?

A radar system detects other aircraft, ships, or other objects and the speed and direction in which they travel by sending out a pulse of high-frequency electromagnetic waves. This pulse goes out ahead of the aircraft until it encounters an object and reflects off of it.

The Army, Navy, and Air Force are the primary users of electronically scanned phased-array radars . This radar is employed on an aircraft or satellite and its antenna beam is scanning at an angle optimum to its flight path to measure radar returns from rainfall to determine rainfall rate.

AN/TPS-59 . Developed for the U.S. Marine Corps to provide a mobile long-range surveillance radar capability. It is recognized as the world’s most capable long-range ground-based radar for tactical ballistic missile defense with proven performance during live fire tests.