Which of the following statements correctly describes TACAN, VOR, and DME in navigation?

• A. TACAN provides bearing only; VOR provides distance; DME provides heading.
• B. TACAN provides bearing and distance to a military station; VOR provides bearing; DME provides distance.
• C. VOR provides distance only; TACAN provides bearing.
• D. DME provides attitude information.

Answer: (B)

Understanding what each navigation aid provides helps see why this description is correct. A VOR gives azimuth information—your bearing to or from the station—so you know what radial you’re on relative to that station. It does not tell you how far away you are. Distance is provided by DME, which measures the slant range to the ground station and reports it in nautical miles. TACAN, designed for military use, delivers both bearing (azimuth) and distance to the station. When TACAN is paired with a VOR (as VORTAC), you get both bearing and distance from a single site. So TACAN with its bearing and distance, VOR with bearing, and DME with distance is the accurate description. The other statements misstate one or more functions—TACAN isn’t bearing-only, VOR isn’t distance-only, and DME isn’t attitude information.