The FuG 200 "Hohentwiel" was a maritime patrol
radar system of the German air force in World War II. It was developed by C.
Lorenz AG of Berlin starting in 1938. The device had originally been entered
into a design contest held by the Luftwaffe for the new FuMg 40L (ground based
fire-control radar). When competitor Telefunken won that contract with its
„Würzburg radar“in 1939, the device was shelved.
In 1941, Lorenz started to re-design it for another design
contest by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium for an airborne naval search radar.
As no special antenna had been specified, initially the simplest possible
layout with three transversely-arranged antenna arrays was chosen - the central
one for transmitting and two others for receiving, one each to port and
starboard of the central transmitting array. Each antenna array possessed
sixteen dipole elements, in eight sets of two elements each, with each set of
four dipole groups vertically stacked comprising each array. For rough
guidance, the radio operator had to manually switch the receiving arrays.
Later, the device received a motor-driven antenna switch. The received signal
strength was displayed on a cathode ray tube so the observer or pilot could
roughly gauge the target's heading as 'left', 'right' or 'head on'. The maximum
range was 150 km for convoys on the Atlantic. The device was first deployed on
Junkers Ju 88, Focke-Wulf Fw 200 and other torpedo bombers. In order to avoid
capture after a crash, it was fitted with several small self-destruct explosive
charges in each of the system's electronics cabinets, which could be triggered
by the pilot.
After complete redesign, the Me 210 reemerged in 1943 as the
Me 410 Hornisse (hornet). Although quite similar in appearance to the Me 210,
the Me 410 incorporated many modifications, namely adapted tailfin and
lengthened fuselage, overcoming the Me 210’s longitudinal stability problems,
and two Daimler-Benz DB 603G 12-cylinder, liquid cooled engines, each
developing 1,900 hp. The result was a greatly improved aircraft. The Me 410,
engaged in operational service in May 1943, achieved more success than its
predecessor and served in a reconnaissance role (then fitted with cameras), and
with various armaments as torpedo attacker, glide-bomb carrier, intruder,
bomber/destroyer, and night fighter. The Me 410, in spite of technical
innovation and powerful armament, was never a pronounced success, and
production stopped in 1944, after over 1,160 units were produced. After the
Allied landing in Normandy in June 1944, all Messerschmitt Me 410s were
withdrawn from combat operation.
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