FuG-220
Contents
Description
The FuG 220 is a German airborne target detection (search) radar. In game it is presently only fitted to one aircraft, the Do 217 N-2.
Vehicles equipped with this radar
General info / usage
The FuG 220 is only a target detection radar, so cannot track targets or provide a lead indicator. The FuG 220 (and the FuG 202) are unique in that they do not scan for targets; instead radar blips update instantly and continuously on the radar display, providing an accurate indication of where the targets are. As a trade-off the radar has a short range of only 5 km and relatively narrow detection angles.
| General Characteristics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum Detection Range |
Guaranteed Detection Range |
Minimum Detection Range |
Range Settings |
| 5,000 m | 5,000 m | 500 m | 5 km |
| Search Modes | |||
| Search Mode | Azimuth Scan Angle |
Elevation Scan Angle |
Scan Time |
| Default | ±35° | -55°/+20° | Instant |
Comparison with analogues
Compared to other target detection radars the FuG 220 has a poor detection range of only 5 km. It also has a fairly poor ±35° azimuth scan angle, but the elevation scan angle (-55°/+20°) is very good. The radar display also update instantly unlike most other radars. The radar is better than the FuG 202 in nearly every way with the exception that the positive elevation scan angle is worse (but the negative scan angle is much better).
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Instantly updating radar display
- Very good overall elevation scan angles
- Better than FuG 202 radar found on other German planes
Cons:
- Poor range of 5 km
- Azimuth scan angles not that good
- Positive elevation angle is not as good as FuG 202
- Relatively high minimum range (500 m)
History
The FuG 220 was a member of the German Lichtenstein family of airborne radars, the only widely deployed airborne interception radars used by German night fighters during WW2. The FuG 202, also known as the Lichtenstein SN-2 entered service in late 1943 as an improved version of previous Lichtenstein radars. The radar did away with the 32 antenna Matratze (mattress) array, instead using eight much larger antennas fitted in four groups of two, known as the Hirschgeweih (stag's antlers) array.
The FuG 220 was much more resilient to jamming than the earlier Lichtenstein radars, but the large antennas produced much more drag; having a much larger impact on aircraft performance, slowing the aircraft by up to 50 km/h (30 mph). The FuG 220 also had a high minimum range of 500 m, so aircraft were often equipped with a single FuG 202 antenna group (8 antennas), to provide close range detection. When the allies managed to jam the FuG 220 after capturing an intact radar the antennas were rotated from upright to a 45 degree angle (as seen on the He 219 A-7 in game), in order to optimize the radar's performance on a different set of frequencies.
In game, the Do 217 N-2 is equipped with the FuG 220, but is modeled with the Matratze (mattress) array from the FuG 202, suggesting the aircraft was given the FuG 220 incorrectly. Likewise the He 219 A-7 is modeled with the FuG 220 antennas, despite being equipped with the FuG202, suggesting that it should instead be fitted with the FuG 220.
Media
An excellent addition to the article would be a video guide, as well as screenshots from the game and photos.
See also
- Airborne Radars
- FuG 202 (another German WW2 radar)
- AI Mk. X (a radar found on some American war-time aircraft)
External links
- [[Wikipedia:Lichtenstein_radar|[Wikipedia] Lichtenstein radar]
