WA14 IJN RADAR ANTENNA SET

Despite the rapid development of the Japanese navy in the 1930s, its command initially did not attach much importance to the development of maritime radars - both fire control and detection of surface units or aircraft. Interestingly, it is assumed that the first Japanese cavity magnetron was built as early as 1937, and therefore almost at the same time as in Great Britain. However, the command of the imperial navy was not interested in this considerable technological achievement at that time and it was "able" to overtake its future opponents in this matter. Moreover, Japan suffered from a shortage of nickel - a raw material much needed in the construction of radars in the 1930s and 1940s - which also inhibited the development of radar detectors in the country. All this meant that in the course of the Pacific War (1941-1945) the Japanese Navy struggled with technological backwardness in the field of maritime radars. Of course, in the period 1941-1945, efforts were made to minimize this difference by introducing two main types of marine radars: Type 21 and Type 22. These were General Purpose Radar, which also had the ability to detect airborne targets. However, their capabilities, as well as the number of units produced, were inferior to American achievements. Moreover, although prototype units began to appear as early as 1942, they did not become more widely used until the end of 1943, a time when it was becoming clear that Japan would lose the war in the Pacific.