The first major post war contract to be awarded to EKCO was for the development of Cloud and Collision Warning equipment by the Ministry of Aviation under the control of TRE.
This equipment was primarily intended to meet an operational requirement for RAF Transport Command aircraft, which frequently encountered severe turbulent weather conditions in the Far East, particularly in the Singapore region where Cumulous-nimbus clouds are not uncommon.
This resulted in the E38, which was very much military style radar adapted for civilian use and extensive trials were carried out world wide in the Short Sunderland flying boat, however, throughout a period covering various trials it was evident that the need to avoid collision was not catered for with sufficient confidence and from then on development was directed to weather avoidance. (Only in recent times has collision avoidance become a reality which turned out to be a very difficult to achieve given the technology of the 1940's).
Note: A major outcome from the development of Cloud and Collision Warning system was the ASV Mk19, which was fitted to the Fairy Gannet from the mid 1950's onward.
Close to the end of the war the AI Mk IX, which was a 5cm (C Band) system emerged.
Records indicate that the AI Mark IX system was first installed in an RCAF order for 163 Mosquito NF36, which first flew in May 1945 (and remained in service until late 1954) followed by a 100 Mosquito NF38 which were exported to Yugoslavia after the war. Later about a 100 Sea Hornets were fitted with Mk IX and flew between 1947 and 1956.
The Mk IX was evolved through Mk IXA, and Mk IXB becoming Mk IXC, which was the result of a major redesign involving the Display Unit, Control Unit and other minor items together with a Strobe Unit that provided range information to the windscreen, projected gun sight.
A small diameter CRT was also incorporated indicating corrected target position, also an artificial horizon was displayed to show aircraft attitude.
A second phase of development took place by replacing the C band units (5cm) including the Antenna, TR and Modulator with established and fully developed X band (3cm) units.
Editors Note: The system described above can be thought of as an early form of HUD (Head up display).
By about 1954 the equipment was installed in the first squadron of Gloster Javelins as AI Mk17 although the system was not well thought of and replaced by an American System for the rest of the aircraft built.
In the late 1940's Another significant development took place, which was to have a profound effect on EKCO Malmesbury.
Development work commenced on what was to become EKCO's best selling military radar system throughout the 1950's.
The system was the Radar Ranging Radar (ARI 5820) this being to satisfy an RAF requirement for radar ranging slaved to the gunsight of fast jets.
The design of the Transmitter Receiver was based on the Cloud and Collision TR but with pulse length, repetition frequency etc. set to suit the requirement. A Strobe Unit was added to provide range data to the windscreen projected gun sight fitted to the Hunter Jet Fighter. It was fully pressurised. The Antenna did not scan but was fixed to the TR front panel both mounted together in the nose of the aircraft.
In terms of Weather Radar, the EKCO technical catalogues from the 60's state that EKCO had its first system fitted to a civilian aircraft in 1949, which also allowed EKCO to claim that it was first in the field.
With hindsight, this claim is open to question since it depended on which milestone you picked since weather radar was developed more or less simultaneously in the UK and in America. Both could legitimately claim a "first".
At this time it is not known which aircraft had the distinction of being the first aircraft to be so fitted since both the Vickers Viscount and the DH Comet 1 both flew in 1949, however it is more likely that it was the Comet.
