A personal area radar is provided to permit a user to be aware of their surroundings. This may be in 360 degrees or any other suitable coverage area and angle. The personal area radar can show objects to the user through fog, smoke, precipitation, darkness and with full 360 degree field of view capability, significantly improving the user's overall situational awareness. They may also be used to view things that are behind solid objects such as in or behind walls or underground. These systems may be highly integrated phased array radar systems mounted on a helmet. They may use small, high frequency radars able to detect solid objects (and/or semi-solid objects) such as people, improvised explosive devices (IED), or other solid objects. These methods and systems may provide the user with 360 degrees view and awareness of objects regardless of external conditions such as weather, darkness or other obstructions.