Abstract: Systems and methods that utilize a terrain database to find the elevation of the ground in the area of ground-mapping illumination to optimize the tilt of a ground-mapping antenna. An exemplary system located on a host aircraft includes a memory that stores terrain elevation data and a component that provides height, position, and orientation information of the host aircraft. A processor receives the height, the position, and the orientation information; defines a desired terrain area to be mapped, based on the received information; retrieves terrain elevation data from the memory, based on the desired terrain area to be mapped; and calculates at least one tilt angle for a ground-mapping radar function based on the retrieved terrain height value and the aircraft's height, position, and orientation information. One or more actuators is commanded to move an antenna based on the calculated at least one tilt angle.