Royal Air Force Martlesham Heath or more simply RAF Martlesham Heath is a former Royal Air Force station located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest of Woodbridge, Suffolk, England. It was active between 1917 and 1963, and played an important role in the development of Airborne Interception radar.
North American P-51 Mustang of the 359th Fighter Squadron at Martlesham Heath.
North American P-51s of the 360th Fighter Squadron in protective revetments at Martlesham Heath, 1944.
The control tower is now a museum.
Airborne Interception radar
Airborne Interception radar, or AI for short, is the British term for radar systems used to equip aircraft in air-to-air role. These radars are used primarily by Royal Air Force (RAF) and Fleet Air Arm night fighters and interceptors for locating and tracking other aircraft, although most AI radars could also be used in a number of secondary roles as well. The term was sometimes used generically for similar radars used in other countries.
The centimetric AI. Mk. VIII shown here on a Bristol Beaufighter set the pattern for AI radars well into the 1970s.
This Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIF mounts the AI Mk. IV. The transmitter antenna is (just) visible on the nose, the left-side receiver just outboard of the landing lights.
This De Havilland Mosquito NF Mark XIII of No. 604 Squadron shows the distinctive upturned "Bull nose" containing the Mk. VIII radar
The Mk. X equipped Gloster Meteor NF.11
