![]() It arrived just as production rates of the De Havilland Mosquito began to improve, quickly displacing the Beaufighter units in RAF squadrons. VIII arrived in early 1942, offering higher power as well as a host of electronic and packaging upgrades. IV equipped aircraft operated at higher altitudes. A small number of these were sent to units across the UK to provide coverage at low altitudes while Mk. ![]() VII, entered service on the Bristol Beaufighter in November 1941. The design was just beginning to mature in late 1941 when the Luftwaffe began low-level attacks. VIII could avoid this by keeping the antenna pointed upward, allowing it to see any aircraft at or above the horizon. IV was blinded by the reflections off the ground from its wide broadcast pattern, which made it impossible to see targets flying at low altitudes. Shorter wavelengths allowed it to use smaller and much more directional antennas. This operated at 9.1 cm wavelength (3 GHz), much shorter than the 1.5 m wavelength of the earlier AI Mk. Low-level development began in 1939 but was greatly sped after the introduction of the cavity magnetron in early 1940. ![]() The basic concept, using a moving parabolic antenna to search for targets and track them accurately, remained in use by most airborne radars well into the 1980s. It was used by Royal Air Force night fighters from late 1941 until the end of World War II. VIII for short, was the first operational microwave-frequency air-to-air radar. Radar, Airborne Interception, Mark VIII, or AI Mk. VIIIA in the nose of a Bristol Beaufighter ![]()
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