Definition
A cross-reference entry directing the reader to the term Digital Target. Fused Target is an alternate name used in some ATC automation contexts for what the Pilot/Controller Glossary defines under Digital Target — a single radar display symbol generated by combining (fusing) data from multiple surveillance sources such as primary radar, secondary radar, and ADS-B.
Plain English
This entry just points you to another term. To get the real explanation, look up Digital Target. The short version: it's one symbol on a controller's screen built by merging information from several tracking sources at once.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic control automation and controller display discussions, especially in glossary references to digital targets.
Derivation
Fused' comes from the Latin fundere, meaning 'to pour' or 'to melt together.' In modern usage it means combining separate things into one. Here, multiple surveillance feeds are 'melted together' into a single track symbol on the controller's scope.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots usually do not manage fused targets directly, but the term helps explain how controllers may see one combined display of an aircraft’s position while providing traffic separation and instructions.
Analogy
It is like a phone using several sources to decide where you are, then showing one location dot on the map instead of a separate dot for each source.
Intuition Check
Do not read “fused” as an electrical fuse, and do not read “target” as something being aimed at. Here, “fused target” means one combined display symbol for an aircraft being tracked.
Example Sentence 1
The glossary entry for Fused Target told the student to see Digital Target for the full definition.
Example Sentence 2
When the system creates a fused target, the display shows one symbol instead of overlapping blips from different sensors.