H2S was the first airborne, ground scanning radar system. It was developed for the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command during World War II to identify targets on the ground for night and all-weather bombing. This allowed attacks outside the range of the various radio navigation aids like Gee or Oboe, which were limited to about 350 kilometres (220 mi) of range from various base stations. It was also widely used as a general navigation system, allowing landmarks to be identified at long range. In March 1941, experiments with an early aircraft interception radar based on the 9.1 cm wavelength, (3 GHz) cavity magnetron revealed that different objects have very different radar signatures; water, open land and built-up areas of cities and towns all produced distinct returns. In January 1942, a new team was set up to combine the magnetron with a new scanning antenna and plan position indicator display. The prototype's first use in April confirmed that a map of the area below the aircraft could be produced using radar. The first systems went into service in early 1943 as the H2S Mark I and H2S Mark II, as well as ASV Mark III. On its second operational mission on 2/3 February 1943, an H2S was captured almost intact by German forces, and a second unit a week later. Combined with intelligence gathered from the surviving crew, they learned it was a mapping system and were able to determine its method of operation. When they pieced one together from parts and saw the display of Berlin, near panic broke out in the Luftwaffe. This led to the introduction of the FuG 350 Naxos radar detector in late 1943, which enabled Luftwaffe night fighters to home on the transmissions of H2S. The British learned of Naxos and a great debate ensued over the use of H2S. Later calculations showed that losses after the introduction of Naxos were actually less than before it, and use continued. After it was found the resolution of the early sets was too low to be useful over large cities like Berlin, in 1943 work started on a version operating in the X band at 3 cm (10 GHz), the H2S Mark III. Almost simultaneously, its American equivalent was introduced as the H2X in October of that year. A wide variety of slightly different Mark III's were produced before the Mark IIIG was selected as the late-war standard. Development continued through the late-war Mark IV to the 1950s era Mark IX that equipped the V bomber fleet and the English Electric Canberra. In the V-force, Mark IXA was tied into both the bombsight and navigation system to provide a complete long-range Navigation and Bombing System (NBS). In this form, H2S was last used operationally during the Falklands War in 1982 on the Avro Vulcan. Some H2S Mark IX units remained in service on the Handley Page Victor aircraft until 1993, providing fifty years of service.
Etymology of "H2S" The radar was originally called "BN" (Blind Navigation), but it quickly became "H2S". The genesis of this remains somewhat contentious, with different sources claiming it meant "Height to Slope"; or "Home Sweet Home". The "S" was already being used by the aircraft interception radar team as a deliberately confusing abbreviation for its operating wavelength in the "sentimetric [sic]" range, which ultimately gave name to the S band. It is widely reported that it was named after hydrogen sulphide (chemical formula H2S, in connection with its rotten smell), because the inventor realized that had he simply pointed the radar downward instead of towards the sky, he would have a new use for radar, ground tracking instead of for identifying air targets and that it was simply "rotten" that he had not thought of it sooner. The "rotten" connection, with a twist, is propounded by R. V. Jones, director of the Air Ministry's scientific intelligence unit. He relates the tale that, owing to a misunderstanding between the original developers and Frederick Lindemann (ennobled as Lord Cherwell in 1941), science advisor to Winston Churchill, development of the technology was delayed as the engineers thought that Lord Cherwell did not like the idea. Later, when Cherwell asked how the project was progressing, he was most upset to hear that it had been put on hold and repeatedly declared about the delay that "it stinks". The engineers called the resumed project "H2S" and later, when Cherwell inquired what H2S stood for, no one dared tell him that it was named after his phrase. Instead, they pretended, on the spot, that it meant "Home Sweet Home", which was the meaning that Cherwell related to others (including Jones).
Development
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