Patent ID: 8134491

Claim:
A method for controlling an aircraft-mounted radar system configured to project radar beams and to receive radar returns relating to the projected radar beams, the method comprising: causing the radar system to sweep a radar beam horizontally to create a horizontal sweep set, and causing the radar system to conduct two vertical sweeps during the horizontal sweep set, the two vertical sweeps being offset from a center horizontal location by at least one beam width, and wherein each of the two vertical sweeps are on opposite sides of the center horizontal location, wherein the horizontal sweep set includes two primarily horizontal loops, each of the two primarily horizontal loops comprising a horizontal sweep at a first tilt angle and a horizontal sweep at a second tilt angle, the two primarily horizontal loops extending between a left maximum azimuth angle and a right maximum azimuth angle; wherein one of the two vertical sweeps is conducted during a single primarily horizontal loop; and wherein the vertical sweeps are conducted between the left maximum azimuth angle and the right maximum azimuth angle.