Airspace observation
The airspace observation (short LRB ) is in the military sense, the observation of enemy movements in border areas. The original task of the LRB was described as “ monitoring the airspace from the ground with the help of the human sensory organs for the purpose of perceiving, recognizing, identifying and reporting aircraft. ".
history
Until 1945
Clarification of the air situation was necessary as early as the two world wars. In the beginning this was done by means of the human senses and therefore also called eye-ear monitoring to this day. For this purpose, in places with good visibility, e.g. B. on the Bismarck Towers , soldiers stationed in shift work who were only equipped with binoculars and telecommunications equipment.
The radar devices developed in the course of the Second World War had a short range and were not yet suitable for the precise location of objects in flight.
After 1945
By means of more modern radar monitoring, extensive nighttime monitoring became possible from the beginning of the 1960s. With the introduction of the Doppler radar , moving objects could then be more clearly distinguished from the stationary environment.
today
Nowadays, air surveillance is carried out using modern large-capacity radars and radar aircraft ( AWACS ), as well as high-resolution satellite photos.
From a military point of view, each troop assigns soldiers for self-protection against enemy aircraft at the level of a group or platoon as part of the anti-aircraft defense of all troops (on land) in order to warn their own troops immediately of enemy aircraft.
For small-scale surveillance (for example of narrow, branched valleys without radar coverage) and for the detection of flying objects with a small radar signature (for example hang gliders), soldiers with binoculars are still stationed at observation posts in the area. This is done, for example, for the surveillance of the lower airspace above Davos during the annual World Economic Forum by the Swiss Air Force .
Airspace observation in Germany
In 1959, LRB units were set up in the Federal Republic to monitor the borders with the Warsaw Pact states . The Luftwaffe's low-level aircraft reporting service ( TMD for short ) was later founded. In 1971 this was equipped with mobile radar devices. The range of the mobile stations was 30 (later 45) kilometers, which filled the gaps in the coverage of the large-capacity radars (ranges of up to 800 kilometers). The introduction of data transmission made it possible to manage flight movements and the TMD was renamed the low-flying reporting and control service ( TMLD for short ). The TMLD was dissolved in the course of reunification and the associated loss of the original task at the beginning of the 1990s. Today the airspace is observed by means of large radars and AWACS within the framework of NATO .
Trivia
The abbreviation "LRB" is occasionally identified in the Bundeswehr with "lying, resting, tanning".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Traditionsverein LRB-TMLD - History ( Memento of the original from August 10, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
