Lichtenstein radar

Lichtenstein radar was a German airborne radar in use during World War II.

Related Topics:
Radar - World War II

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Early FuG (Funk-Gerät) 202 Lichtenstein B/C units were not deployed until 1942, and as they operated on the 2 m wavelength they required large antennas. During 1943 it was improved to the FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 with longer range and wider angle of view. By this point in the war the British had become experts on jamming German radars, and when a B/C-equipped Ju 88 night fighter landed in England one foggy night, it was only a few weeks before the system was rendered completely useless. The Ju 88 had flown the wrong way against a landing beacon and landed in the UK by accident with the crew not realising the mistake until it was too late to destroy the radar or the German IFF.

Related Topics:
Ju 88 - IFF

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By late 1943 the Luftwaffe was starting to deploy the greatly improved FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2, but this required huge antennas that slowed the planes as much as 50 km/h. The first SN-2 set had a problem with a huge minimum range of 500 m requiring a small antenna and a second radar set (FuG 202 or 212) to cover low ranges but improvements in spring 1944 led to newer SN-2 versions with lower minimum range. Late 1944 the Morgenstern (Morning-star) antenna was developed and this was small enough to be fitted into the nose (of a Ju 88) covered with a wooden cone. The SN-2 was further improved to FuG 228 Lichtenstein SN-3 but saw little to no service.

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Jamming the SN-2 took longer, but was accomplished early late 1944/early 1945.

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A 9 cm wavelength system known as FuG 240 Berlin was developed, but saw little to no operational use.

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De Havilland Mosquito night intruders were fitted with a device called "Serrate" to allow them to track down German night fighters from their Lichtenstein B/C, C-1 and SN-2 radar emissions, as well as a device named "Perfectos" that tracked German IFF systems.

Related Topics:
De Havilland Mosquito - Lichtenstein - IFF

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