Lichtenstein radar

They operated at a maximum RF output power of 1.5 kW, on the 61 cm wavelength (490 MHz, or low UHF band), requiring complex Matratze (mattress) antennas, consisting of thirty-two dipole elements, mounted in four groups of eight, each at the forward end of one of four forward-projecting masts.

Luftwaffe aircrew of a B/C-equipped Ju 88 R-1 night fighter, Werknummer 360 043, defected in May 1943 and landed at RAF Dyce in Scotland,[1] presenting a working example of the German radar.

The subsequent refinement of 'Window' (known as Düppel by the Luftwaffe, from the Berlin suburb near where the German version was developed) rendered Lichtenstein B/C almost useless for several crucial weeks.

By late 1943, the Luftwaffe was starting to deploy the greatly improved FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2, operating on a lower frequency of 90 MHz (lower end of the US VHF FM broadcast band) which was far less affected by electronic jamming, but this required the much larger Hirschgeweih (stag's antlers) antennas,[2] with only eight dipole elements, looking like a much-enlarged version of what occupied the forward end of each one of the earlier quadruple Matratze masts.

Improvements in early 1944 led to newer SN-2 versions with lower minimum range, which allowed the older UHF radar system to be removed entirely.

This was just compact enough to fit into the nose of a Ju 88G, and was covered with a rubber-coated, wooden conical radome with the extreme tip of each element barely protruding above the surface.

In December 1942, on the 18th sortie, it was tracked and intercepted by a Luftwaffe night fighter, sustaining heavy damage and then ditching in the sea off Kent, England.

[10][page needed] Much more dangerous were Mosquito intruders equipped with a device called Serrate to allow them to track German night fighters by emissions from their Lichtenstein B/C, C-1 or SN-2 sets.