Which MWAS search pattern is used to search a sector around the aircraft?

• A. Bar scan
• B. Rolling box
• C. Expanding square
• D. Sector search

Answer: (D)

When you’re searching around the aircraft, narrowing the effort to a defined angular area is most efficient. A sector search is designed to cover a wedge-shaped portion of the surrounding space, with the aircraft at the apex and scanning within specific bearing limits.

This pattern ensures you systematically sweep all directions within that sector, giving you complete coverage where you expect targets to appear while avoiding wasted effort outside the area of interest. It optimizes detection probability for the defined sector and aligns with how you’d focus sensors and visual searches when a target is believed to lie in a particular direction.

The other patterns aren’t as well suited for a defined sector: a bar scan sweeps broad strips across the area rather than within angular boundaries; a rolling box moves a search area but isn’t anchored to a fixed sector around the aircraft; and an expanding square starts at a point and expands in all directions, which doesn’t constrain the search to a specific sector.