Enhancement of airborne weather radar performance using external weather data

A weather radar control system, comprising:

• a communication system including a transmitter-receiver configured to receive weather data from an external location;
• and
• at least one processor coupled with the communication system and a non-transitory processor-readable medium storing processor-executable code for causing the at least one processor to:
• acquire first weather data from a weather radar system onboard an aircraft, the first weather data including a first location of a first type of weather event in a first area extending from the aircraft and a second location of the first type of weather event in a second area, wherein the second area is within the weather radar system's detection range for detecting the first type of weather event;
• receive second weather data for the second area with respect to the aircraft different from the first area from the external location based on a range of the first area extending from the aircraft, the second weather data including a location of a second type of weather event in the second area, wherein the second area is beyond the weather radar system's detection range for detecting the second type of weather event;
• correlate the first weather data and the second weather data based on the first and second locations;
• generate display data for display based on the correlated weather data, wherein the display data is for a display area at least partially defined by at least one of the first and second areas;
• and
• provide the display data to a display system onboard the aircraft.

A method of controlling a weather radar control system, comprising:

• acquiring first weather data from a weather radar system onboard an aircraft, the first weather data including a first location of a first type of weather event in a first area extending from the aircraft and a second location of the first type of weather event in a second area, wherein the second area is within the weather radar system's detection range for detecting the first type of weather event;
• receiving second weather data for the second area with respect to the aircraft via a communication system from an external location, the second weather data including a location of a second type of weather event in the second area, wherein the second area is beyond the weather radar system's detection range for detecting the second type of weather event;
• correlating the first weather data and the second weather data based on the first and second locations;
• generating display data for display based on the correlated weather data, wherein the display data is for a display area at least partially defined by the first and second areas;
• and
• providing the display data to a display system onboard the aircraft.