What does Range mean?

• A. The angular position of an object from an observer
• B. The distance of an object from an observer
• C. The altitude of the object above ground
• D. The bearing from observer to object

Answer: (D)

Range is the distance from the observer to the object. It measures how far away the target is along the line of sight, and in practice can be the straight-line or slant distance when the target is at a different altitude than the observer. This is different from bearing, which is the direction to the object from the observer, usually given as an angle from a reference (like north). It’s also different from altitude, which is how high the object is above ground. So when you hear range, think: how far away is the target, not what direction it’s in or how high it sits. For example, a target 15 miles away along your line of sight has a range of 15 miles.