Definition
In ATC and radar usage, a target is the indication shown on a radar display that represents an aircraft or other object detected by the radar. It is the visual return — a blip, symbol, or data block — that controllers use to identify, track, and separate aircraft.
Plain English
It is the mark on a controller's radar screen that shows where an aircraft is. Each aircraft being tracked appears as a target.
Context Anchor
Used in radar surveillance, traffic advisories, and air traffic control discussions when referring to what appears on a controller’s display.
Derivation
From the Old French 'targe,' meaning a small shield. The shield was the thing aimed at in archery, so 'target' came to mean any object of focus or detection. In radar, the aircraft is the object being detected and watched — the focus of the radar's attention.
Why Pilots Care
ATC uses targets to identify aircraft, issue traffic advisories, and maintain safe separation.
Intuition Check
Target does not mean a goal, destination, or something to shoot at here. In this context, it means the radar display indication that represents an aircraft or object.
Example Sentence 1
The controller advised, 'Traffic, two o'clock, three miles, target appears to be at your altitude.'
Example Sentence 2
Heavy rain can weaken primary radar targets and make them harder to track.