Plain English Meaning

Nearby aircraft that show up on a cockpit traffic display because they are close enough to be worth watching.

Full Definition

Other aircraft detected by a traffic advisory system (such as TCAS or TIS) whose position, altitude, or projected flight path brings them close enough to the pilot's aircraft to warrant attention as potential collision threats.

Context Anchor

Seen in traffic avoidance discussions and on cockpit traffic displays that show other aircraft around you.

Derivation

Intruding' comes from the Latin intrudere, meaning 'to thrust in.' In this context it doesn't suggest hostility — just that another aircraft is entering the protected airspace around your own. '' is borrowed from usage, where any returned signal from an object is called a target.