- Contributed by听
- Ron Goss
- People in story:听
- Ron Goss
- Location of story:听
- Hibaldstowe
- Background to story:听
- Royal Air Force
- Article ID:听
- A4471184
- Contributed on:听
- 17 July 2005
I flew an airborne searchlight in 1942/3!
Thirty-nine Havoc IIs. were modified to carry 2700 million candlepower Turbinlite searchlights in their noses, and had all their armament deleted. The searchlights were powered by large and heavy batteries carried in the bomb bay. The theory of their operation involved their co-operation with Hurricane fighters. Ground radar would locate the enemy aircraft, and the Havoc II (Turbinlight) would illuminate the target aircraft so that it could be attacked by the Hurricanes. These Turbinlite Havoc IIs served briefly until the development of centimetric radar made such techniques obsolete. The ten operational squadrons which had been formed around the Havoc I and IIs were disbanded in early 1943.
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