Radar range Mirage 2000

[Jespeeer]

On the radar you can set a range from 320 to 10nm. Why would someone choose for 20nm? What would be pro’s and con’s of choosing a short range?

Also read that the effective range is about 65nm, so why is 320nm even possible?

Does a short range also mean that you are harder to spot for other planes? Just trying to understand this.

[Jel]

Well i don't fly the M2000 but i haven't seen any jet yet that let's you chose the radar emitters strength :)
You don't set the radar range. You set the range DISPLAYED for you ;)

So it's a matter of how detailed your contacts are visible on the screen.

[Perfect Info]

The "effective range" of the radar detection depends on the target you are attempting to detect, its posture, and the environment. Because player aircraft in DCS World are predominantly fighter-sized targets with a radar cross-section (RCS) on the order of 1 to 10 m^2, these the targets used for "effective range" charts you see online. But a B-52 bomber has a radar cross-section on the order of 100 m^2. As far as I can tell, energy received by the radar is linear in proportion to radar cross section. So the B-52 would (theoretically) be detectable at 10 times the range of the fighter sized targets. Theoretical because at massive ranges then things like radar horizon or atmospheric noise become a concern.

So if testing in DCS suggests that the Mirage 2000 can detect an Su-27 at about 65nm, then that 320nm range to detect something like a B-52 is looking quite reasonable.