Radar was originally developed for military purposes during World War 2 to detect ships and airplanes. Scientists later discovered that radar could also detect precipitation, making it an essential tool for weather prediction. There are two main types of radar: pulse radar which uses pulse transmission to determine range and continuous wave radar which relies on the Doppler effect. Key radar components include the transmitter, receiver, antenna, and display unit. Radar systems can be classified by their primary mission as search, tracking, or weather surveillance radars. Common examples include air search radars, long range surveillance radars, and tracking radars used in aircraft.