02198 Hasegawa 1/72 Mosquito Mk.XIII "Night Fighter" Limited Edition

Additional Information

In mid-1942, an experienced NF night fighter appeared.XII (night fighter NF.X and FB fighter-bomber.XI with engines of the Merlin 61 was left at the stage of projects, although was ordered in significant quantities, the company "Standard motors" and factory in Hatfield). The main distinguishing feature of the new version of the "night light" (the experimental machine was converted from NF.II with serial number DD715) was a centimetric radar AI.Mk.VIII. Radiant parabolic radar antenna is located under the radio waves cook in the nose of the fuselage. It could scan cyclically with respect to the vertical axis, that is, periodically deviate to the right and left, which ensured the selectivity of the locator in the direction. If the Quartet beamwidth of the beam was 120, then AI.Mk.VIII - only 11 degrees. As a result, it was possible to obtain an acceptable range of target detection when flying at low altitudes (meter locator "saw nothing" at ranges exceeding the altitude of the flight, as the reflected signal from the ground "scored" the target mark).
Simultaneously with the antenna on the screen of the horizontal scan indicator, an electron beam was moving, leaving a bright mark at the moment when the antenna was "looking" at the target. The position of the target in the vertical plane was still determined qualitatively: "below-above", but within a relatively narrow region, which greatly reduced the probability of "release".
If the first samples of aircraft radars were, from the point of view of the pilots, akin to a shaman's tambourine ("damn it, maybe there is something in this"), then the "eight" removed all doubts. The pilots believed in the radar, which has become much more reliable and "long-range". If the limit range of detection of a twin-engine bomber in AI.Mk.V was about 6 km, then at AI.Mk.VIII - about 8 km. Pilots believed that the benefits more than compensated for the lack of machine guns "Browning". By the way, the standard nose cook with machine guns from the aircraft DD715 practical British is not "let the firewood", and used on an experienced high-altitude fighter NF.XV.