Bistatic radar is the name given to a
radar system which comprises a transmitter and receiver which are separated by a distance that is comparable to the expected target distance. Conversely, a radar in which the transmitter and receiver are collocated is called a
monostatic radar. A system containing multiple spatially diverse
monostatic radar or bistatic radar components with a shared area of coverage is called
multistatic radar. Many long-range
air-to-air and
surface-to-air missile systems use
semi-active radar homing which is a form of bistatic radar.