A tactical air navigation system, commonly referred to by the acronym TACAN, is a navigation system initially designed for naval aircraft to acquire moving landing platforms and later expanded for use
A DVORTAC installation in Germany; the TACAN antenna is elevated above the center DVOR-antenna on the counterpoise.
A shipboard TACAN antenna on USS Raleigh (LPD-1) with a lightning rod extending above it
Distance measuring equipment
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In aviation, distance measuring equipment is a radio navigation technology that measures the slant range between an aircraft and a ground station by timing the propagation delay of radio signals in th
Tactical air navigation system
…and distance (slant-range or hypotenuse) to a ground or ship-borne station. It is, from an end-user perspective, a more accurate version of the VOR/DME system that provides bearing and range information for civil aviation. Aircraft equipped with TACAN avionics can use this system for enroute navigation…
D-VOR/DME ground station
DME antenna beside the DME transponder shelter