Radar development in the 1930s and 1940s was difficult enough that a first service set had to prove basic function and reliability. Early British and American radars were also limited, while later generations improved through wartime use. Comparing a Second World War set with SPY radar ignores roughly three to four decades of further development. Wartime equipment had less flexibility, power, and search range, yet it could still be useful within its intended setting. The same caution applies when comparing wartime ASDIC or sonar with modern sonar. Shared operating principles do not make systems from very different technological generations equivalent.
Notable Point · 37:18-40:25
Judging first-generation radar on its own terms
Early radar should first be judged by whether it worked reliably, rather than by the capabilities of systems developed decades later.