Understanding Electromagnetic Radar from a Software Engineer’s Perspective

📅 Jun 24, 2025 ⏱ 7 min read

Introduction

Radars are everywhere, from airport control towers to car parking sensors and national defense systems. While most people think of them as a hardware device sitting on a post, the truth is that modern radar is as much about software as it is about hardware.

This blog will walk through how electromagnetic radar systems work, with a focus on the software that drives them. Even if you're just starting out and you've never heard of electromagnetic waves etc. this will help you understand how tech like radar works under the hood.

What is Radar?

Radar stands for "Radio Detection and Ranging." It sends out radio waves and waits to see if they bounce back from an object (I personally call this raycasting). When the waves return, the system calculates how far away the object is and how fast it's moving.

Example of raycasting from a Game cheat I've made: rays are cast forward in 3D space to check for obstacles or structures, similar to how radar pings detect objects.

Core components of radar include:

Transmitter – Sends the radio signal.
Antenna – Emits and receives signals.
Receiver – Captures the reflected signals.
Signal Processor – Converts the raw data into usable information.

Where Software Comes In - 😉

The software inside radar systems handles:

Signal processing – Using algorithms like FFT (fast fourier transform) to identify the target
Noise reduction – (Believe it or not is useful) Removing unwanted echoes or static.
Object classification – Determining whether the signal came from a drone, plane, bird, or something else.
Display systems – Rendering visuals for operators using OpenGL or similar graphics libraries.
Embedded firmware – Real-time software that controls the timing and logic of radar pulses.

Technologies Used

Here are a few technologies common in radar development:

C/C++ for low-level, real-time firmware and DSP (Digital Signal Processing) routines. (more info about DSP later)
Python for simulation, signal visualization, and AI based object recognition. (there is actually a library called yolov10 which can do this)
MATLAB for prototyping signal algorithms.

Real World Applications

In companies like Lockheed Martin or Northrop Grumman, radar systems are developed to secure national airspace and provide threat detection. Engineers like us (even young ones like me ahaha) can contribute to these by: