Abstract: Radars with continuous wave frequency (CW FM sonars) are used in radiolocation as ‘silent radars’. They determine the distance to target by measuring the difference between the frequency of the sounding signal and echo signal. The article presents the principle of operation and parameters of silent CW FM sonars. Target distance determined by these sonars is based on the signal at the output of the matched filter. The Doppler effect is studied in detail to identify its effect on the sonar’s parameters. The results of theoretical calculations are presented together with the results of the sonar’s computer simulation.