At the start of the war, the Royal Navy hoped radar-equipped escorts would help coordinate fighter direction. In practice, early carriers such as the armoured Illustrious class often carried the relevant radar themselves. As some of the fleet's tallest ships, carriers gave those sets a longer radar horizon and could detect approaching aircraft farther out. The carrier could then pass the raid's position to its combat air patrol and tell the fighters where to intercept. Sensor placement and ship height were therefore operational parts of fighter control as well as hardware details.
Notable Point · 12:13-12:59
Why carrier-mounted radar became a fighter-direction hub
Early British plans expected radar-equipped escorts to help coordinate interceptions, but carriers often carried the radar themselves and used their greater height to see farther and direct the combat air patrol.