[Milsurplus] Naval Aviation Navigation

[Mike Morrow]

>Aircraft were equipped with ARR-1, ZB-1/2/3, and ARR-2 homing receivers. 

The ZB-series (and AN/ARR-1 JAN equivalent) homing adapters appear to have had a short period of actual use.  It appears that the ZB-* and the R-1/ARR-1 were the only real reason for the existence of the ARA CBY-46145 and BC-946-B BC-band receivers.  The same applies for the R-24/ARC-5, but in theory at least that unit could be used with a DU direction finding loop, and with a MX-19/ARC-5 audio adapter it could also support the old Airtrack instrument landing system that the Navy tried, using the short-lived ZA or (I think) AN/ARN-9 systems.  (The USAAF's SCS-51 ILS system with the airborne AN/ARN-5 and BC-733 receivers was far superior and is essentially the same ILS system used worlwide today.)

The AN/ARR-2, OTOH, appears to have had a long post war career.  I've got receivers and control boxes sporting overhaul dates as late as 1956, and the equipment manuals were being revised at least as late as May 1954.  I suspect that it was displaced only by the arrival of TACAN.

Mike / KK5F