History Main / RadarIsUseless

Compare SwissCheeseSecurity, TheRadioDiesFirst and CellPhonesAreUseless, for other cases when technology fails to work and/or exist for plot-related reasons, as well as FailedASpotCheck, for extreme obliviousness at individual scale. Frequently overlaps with MilitariesAreUseless when the heroes are left alone to fight a blatantly obvious airborne menace. Closely related to the endurance of the OldSchoolDogfight as the most common form of aerial combat.

* Both {{enforced}} and subverted in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, as the [[MinovskyPhysics Minovsky Particle]] (and similar super-science in other-universe works like Ahab Reactors in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans Iron Blooded Orphans]]'') diffuses radar and radio waves -- which is of course [[MechaEnablingPhlebotinum a justification]] for why HumongousMecha have a practical military application in the setting. However, radar ''being'' interfered with by Minovsky particles is a dead giveaway that large military vehicles are nearby, even if it's much less precise. This is why the Shoal Zones (i.e. debris fields left over from battlefields and destroyed space colonies) are such popular hiding spots: there so much residual Minovsky interference (e.g. from wrecked ships still emitting Minovsky Particles) that it's easy to hide in them.

Because of this, aircraft and [[SpaceIsAir spacecraft]] with '''no justification''' (such as a CloakingDevice) for avoiding detection are ''still'' able to get the drop on enemies in situations where they, realistically, should have seen it coming. [[DropShip Dropships]] are always able to penetrate deep into fortified enemy territory for infiltration missions, national militaries often seem worryingly oblivious to aerial combat going on in protected airspace, and nobody ever notices [[AlienInvasion the massive alien attack fleet]] before flying saucers start blasting chunks out of cities. Those falling victim to this trope don't need to be ''explicitly'' shown to possess radar or some other form of detection system, just well-resourced and technologically advanced enough that it would be very likely for them to.

* Both {{enforced}} and subverted in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, as the [[MinovskyPhysics Minovsky Particle]] (and similar super-science in other-universe works like Ahab Reactors in ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans Iron Blooded Orphans]]'') diffuses radar and radio waves -- which is of course [[MechaEnablingPhlebotinum a justification]] for why HumongousMecha have a practical military application in the setting. However, Minovsky particles ''themselves'' are a dead giveaway that large military vehicles are nearby, even if it's much less precise than radar. This is why the Shoal Zones (i.e. debris fields left over from battlefields and destroyed space colonies) are such popular hiding spots: there so much residual Minovsky interference (e.g. from wrecked ships still emitting Minovsky Particles) that it's easy to hide in them.

* {{Enforced}} in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, as the [[MinovskyPhysics Minovsky Particle]] (and similar super-science in other-universe works like the GM Particle in Gundam 00) diffuses radar and radio waves - which is of course [[MechaEnablingPhlebotinum a justification]] for why HumongousMecha have a practical military application in the setting.
** Although, in-universe, a sudden spike in Minovsky Particle activity often acts as a warning in its own right, especially in areas where there shouldn't be any. This is why the Shoal Zones (i.e. debris fields left over from battlefields and destroyed space colonies) are such popular hiding spots: there so much residual Minovsky interference (e.g. from wrecked ships still emitting Minovsky Particles) that it's easy to hide in them.

* {{Enforced}} in the ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' franchise, as the [[MinovskyPhysics Minovsky Particle]] (and similar super-science in other-universe works like the GM Particle in Gundam 00) diffuses radar and radio waves - which is of course [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality a justification]] for why HumongousMecha have a practical military application in the setting.

** ''Film/CaptainMarvel'' takes place in the 1990s so nobody on Earth had the ability to actually respond to Ronon the Accuser attempting an OrbitalBombardment, but somebody besides Nick Fury should have at least remembered a squadron of Kree warships appearing and then retreating after one got blown up.

If the radar itself is working perfectly, but the operators are too lazy and/or stupid to notice anything amiss, that's because TheGuardsMustBeCrazy.

But in fiction none of this matters, as in some cases even [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens nigh-omnipotent ancient races]] can only produce detection systems roughly as effective as an old man with a pair of shoddy binoculars.

But in fiction none of this matters, as in some cases even [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens nigh-omnipotent ancient races]] can only produce detection systems roughly as effective as an old man with a pair of shoddy binoculars. And severe cataracts.

Because of this, aircraft and [[SpaceIsAir spacecraft]] with '''no valid excuse''' (such as a CloakingDevice) for avoiding detection are ''still'' able to get the drop on enemies in situations where they, realistically, should have seen it coming. [[DropShip Dropships]] are always able to penetrate deep into fortified enemy territory for infiltration missions, national militaries often seem worryingly oblivious to aerial combat going on in protected airspace, and nobody ever notices [[AlienInvasion the massive alien attack fleet]] before flying saucers start blasting chunks out of cities. Those falling victim to this trope don't need to be ''explicitly'' shown to possess radar or some other form of detection system, just well-resourced and technologically advanced enough that it would be very likely for them to.

->''"No one who watches the skies for a living notices this [highly conspicuous thing going on in plain sight]."'' *ding*

** In the sequel ''Film/IndependenceDayResurgence'' it is {{Justified}}, as the Queen's mothership has a CloakingDevice, but there's no indication as to whether the original ship(s) also had them.

** ''Film/IronMan3'': The US Air Force is [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror understandably concerned]] about unidentified craft entering American airspace, so the Mandarin's attack on Tony Stark's mansion with three helicopter gunships seems to be enabled by this trope. However, it's quite possibly {{Justified}} since the "Mandarin" is Aldrich Killian, who's conspiring with the Vice President, and the helicopters seem to be disguised as news choppers.

** ''Film/BlackWidow'': [[spoiler:General Dreykov has somehow kept the Red Room hidden from its enemies by housing it in a [[OminousFloatingCastle giant flying fortress]]. It would be ''nigh-impossible'' to keep something so big protected from radar and spy satellites without the sort of high-level government complicity that would make it redundant in the first place.]]

* Mostly {{justified}} in ''Film/TopGunMaverick'': the Navy strike force uses the terrain to evade enemy radar on approach to the target [[spoiler:and while Maverick and Rooster are escaping the enemy base in a stolen F-14]] (it isn't addressed in the film but [[ShownTheirWork Tomahawk missiles are also designed to do this]]), and the more powerful radar on the E-2D Hawkeye flying overwatch is able to pick up the enemy Su-57s despite their stealth capabilities. [[spoiler:However, no explanation besides RuleOfDrama is given for why the last Su-57 pilot didn't pick up Hangman's F/A-18E lining up on him, although it's possible the pilot was just fixated on Maverick's F-14 and didn't notice Hangman's radar echo.]]

** Furthermore, in the episode [[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS4E18CrisisOnNaboo "Crisis On Naboo"]], Count Dooku parks a Separatist transport shuttle directly above Naboo’s Royal Palace, where Chancellor Palpatine is staying, mere hours after he was kidnapped. Although, [[{{Justified}} this can probably be excused]] due to the strong implications that Palpatine set the whole thing up to test Dooku against Anakin.

Of course, TropesAreTools: if basic detection systems actually worked in movieland as well as they do in our world, many {{Masquerade}}s would be {{Broken|Masquerade}} (or at the very least the MenInBlack would be forced to work overtime), and plots [[AnthropicPrinciple would never unfurl as they do]] if the heroes were unable to parachute onto the villain's island lair without being [[TotalPartyKill blasted out of the sky by AA guns]].