The impact of solid-state electronics on the development of radar systems

The paper indicates the status of radar at the date when the transistor was being developed and shows that the early impact of this device, because of its then limited performance, was primarily in the design of sub-systems to handle the large amount of data generated from radar receivers. i n this respect the invention of the transistor is inseparable from the development of the computer. During the ´60s, however, the greater spectrum, together with improved performance, of semiconductor devices allowed for their penetration into all aspects of radar including in many instances the microwave power sources, to yield high performance, portability, reliability and lower cost per function. The paper concludes with a survey of possible future links between solid state electronics and radar systems.