Country of origin | the United Kingdom |
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Introduced | June 1942 [1] |
Monica was a range-only tail warning radar for bombers, introduced by the RAF in June 1942. [2] Officially known as ARI 5664, [3] it operated at frequencies of around 300 MHz (on the boundary between VHF and UHF). The system was also used by the US Army Air Forces, under the name AN/APS-13, and the nickname Archie.
Monica was developed at the Bomber Support Development Unit (BSDU) in Worcestershire.[ citation needed] After the Luftwaffe became aware of Monica from a crashed bomber, German scientists developed a passive radar receiver, named Flensburg (FuG 227). From early 1944, FuG 227 was used by nightfighter crews to home in on Allied bombers using Monica. [4] However, on the morning of 13 July 1944, a 7.Staffel/ NJG 2-flown Junkers Ju 88 G-1 nightfighter equipped with Flensburg mistakenly landed at RAF Woodbridge. After examining the Flensburg equipment, the RAF ordered Monica withdrawn from all Bomber Command aircraft. [5] An AN/APS-13 was used as a radar altimeter during the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the 509th Composite Group, USAAF.