What is another way to define a Sweep Width (W) distance of 3 NM?

• A. It is a 3NM swath centered on the SRU's track where it is reasonable to assume the SRU will see the search object.
• B. It is the maximum distance the SRU can search in 5 minutes
• C. It is the distance to the closest search object
• D. It is irrelevant for day/night operations

Answer: (A)

Sweep Width defines how wide a search footprint a unit covers as it moves along its track. It represents the strip on either side of the track within which a target is expected to be detected. When the Sweep Width distance is 3 nautical miles, the SRU is effectively scanning a swath 3 NM wide centered on its track. That means the search object would be reasonably detectable within that 3 NM belt around the path. This directly matches the description of a 3 NM swath centered on the SRU’s track where detection is expected. The other statements describe timing, proximity to objects, or day/night relevance, none of which define Sweep Width.