(Neptune) was the code name of a series of low-to-mid-VHF band airborne intercept radar devices developed by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and used as active targeting devices in several types of

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or by using the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in ...

. They were usually combined with a "backwards warning device", indicated by the addition of the letters "V/R" , meaning Forward/Backward). Working in the metre range, Neptun was meant as a stop-gap until scheduled SHF-band devices became available (for instance the FuG 240/E

cavity magnetron The cavity magnetron is a high-power vacuum tube used in early radar systems and currently in microwave ovens and linear particle accelerators. It generates microwaves using the interaction of a stream of electrons with a magnetic field whi ...

-based FuG 240 Berlin AI radar). Transceiving antennas used for on twin-engined night fighters usually used a (stag's antlers) eight-dipole array with shorter elements than the previous 90 MHz SN-2 radar had used or as an experimental fitment, the 90°-crossed twin-element set Yagi based single-mast-mounted array.

Variants

FuG 216: Experimental series to plan the further development. Installed in Fw 190 A-6/R11 and Bf 109 G-6 The aircraft were used by NJGr 10 until March 1944, after which some machines of 6./JG 300 () were equipped. * Manufacturer: (FFO, German for airborne radio research institut in Bavaria) * R1 version (backwards warning device) :*Frequency: 182MHz :*Power: 1.0kW :*Transmitting and receiving antennas each consist of twin dipoles, mounted under and above the wings, respectively :* Single display device with distance readout * V version (for single engined

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

s) :*Frequency: 125MHz :*Power: 1.2kW :*Range: 500 to 3,500m :*Antennas in the form of spikes or (Fw 190) as "antlers" on right and left wings FuG 217: Installed mainly in Ju 88 G-6, only a few Bf 110 G-4,

He 219 The Heinkel He 219 ''Uhu'' (" Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein ...

or Me 262 received the . It could be combined with the additional device to automatically measure the target distance and fire the guns at a set range.Aders, S. 268 * Manufacturer: FFO * R2 version (backward warning device) * J2 version (for single-engined night fighters) * V/R (combined night fighter and backward warning device for two-engined fighters) :*Two switchable frequencies: 158 and 187MHz :*Search angle: 120° :*Range: :*Spike or "antler" antennas FuG 218: mass-produced * Manufacturer:

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

/ FFO * R3 version (backward warning device) * J3 version (for single-engined night-fighters) * V/R version (combined night fighter and backward warning device for two-engined fighters) :*Six switchable frequencies: 158 to 187MHz :*Search angle: 120° :*Range: :*Weight: :*R3 and J3 with spike antennas and V/R with "antler" antennas. * G/R version (combined night fighter and backward warning device for two-engined fighters) :*Only one single device built, replacing the 2kW transmitter with a 30kW transmitter. Range increased to up to . This device was intended for the

Dornier Do 335 The Dornier Do 335 ''Pfeil'' ("Arrow") was a heavy fighter built by Dornier for Germany during World War II. The two-seater trainer version was called ''Ameisenbär'' ("anteater"). The ''Pfeil''s performance was predicted to be better than oth ...

. "Antler" antennas.

References

* (1) TME 11-219 Directory of German Radar Equipment * Gebhard Aders: ''Geschichte der Deutschen Nachtjagd'', Motorbuch publishing corporation, 1977, * :File:Neptun FuG 217.pdf {{German radars of World War II Aircraft radars World War II German radars Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944

Variants

See also

References