Background
The then state-of-the-art metre-wavelength Airborne Interception RDF (radar) equipment was bulky and, due to the operator workload, generally unsuited to carriage by single-engined fighters, and so required a twin-engine design. However, the early radar-equipped Bristol Blenheims lacked the necessary speed advantage over the German Heinkel 111s and Dornier Do 17 bombers then raiding the UK to be truly effective, the Blenheim being able to find the bomber, but often not being fast enough to be able to reach a position in which to shoot it down. Non-RDF (radar) equipped single-engined fighters, whilst being fast enough to catch the bombers, simply could not find the bombers to shoot them down. In addition, there was some doubt as to the best way to find, intercept and shoot down attacking bombers at night. The idea put forward that an aircraft that carried a searchlight could light up the attacking bombers for non-RDF equipped fighters to shoot them down, the single-engine fighters having a considerable performance advantage over the German twin-engine bombers.
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