If a surface target is acquired and being tracked by the onboard sensor, which term applies?

If a surface target is acquired and being tracked by the onboard sensor, which term applies?

• A. Contact
• B. Captured
• C. Mark
• D. Bingo

Answer: (B)

When a sensor moves from simply seeing something to actively locking onto it and maintaining a continuous track, the target is said to be captured. This state means the onboard system has established a stable track with ongoing position and velocity updates, which is essential for guiding weapons or making targeting decisions. Acquisition is just the first moment of detection; captured implies the sensor has a persistent, reliable track on the target. The other terms don’t fit this situation: contact can refer to detection without a solid track, mark is about designating a target for reference, and bingo is unrelated to target tracking status.

When a sensor moves from simply seeing something to actively locking onto it and maintaining a continuous track, the target is said to be captured. This state means the onboard system has established a stable track with ongoing position and velocity updates, which is essential for guiding weapons or making targeting decisions. Acquisition is just the first moment of detection; captured implies the sensor has a persistent, reliable track on the target. The other terms don’t fit this situation: contact can refer to detection without a solid track, mark is about designating a target for reference, and bingo is unrelated to target tracking status.