The development of defence technology was and is always characterised by the approach of being ahead of the enemy by the famous nose length. In the case of combat aircraft, the premise was for a long time to fly faster and higher than the enemy machines, or to have more powerful armament. In the first two (major) wars, in which aircraft played an increasingly important role, it was these capabilities and, of course, the skill of the pilots that determined who emerged victorious from an air battle. However, the superior technology was useless if the pilot detected the enemy aircraft too late. The invention of radar allowed pilots to locate enemy aircraft long before they were visible to the human eye. This was already evident in the Battle of Britain, when the British radar stations on the Channel coast located the German bomber formations shortly after their take-off. When they then approached their target, the Spitfires and Hurricanes of the Royal Air Force were already waiting for them.