This book addresses the concept of Airborne Early Warning (AEW) systems@ their capabilities and limitations@ and areas in which they can be improved. It was written for systems-oriented people such as program managers@ users@ system integrators@ and designers. Airborne platforms@ sensors@ and overall system requirements are discussed in broad terms. Radar is dealt with separately because of its unchallenged@ all-weather capability for the detection of targets at long range. The book was written to provide an understanding of the status of AEW concepts without using complex mathematics. There are@ however@ sections that include details for specialists in such important areas as sidelobes due to antenna and airframe interactions@ small target detection@ clutter and clutter suppression@ constant false alarm rate (CFAR) processing@ algorithms for automatic tracking@ and target classification and identification. The book's overall emphasis is on AEW system limitations@ developmental trends@ and opportunities for improvement. Author Maurice W. Long