XAF Radar The XAF Radar was an experiment radar constructed in 1938 , survived World War II as a historical artifact , and is now placed on exhibit at the Historical Electronics Museum , located in Linthicum , Maryland Creation and development . The XAF — an experimental radar that resulted from several years ' technical progress by the Naval Research Laboratory ( NRL ) — was constructed in 1938 , following a late February decision to install a radar set on a major warship . Operating at 200 megacycles ( 1 . 5 meter wavelength ) at a power of 15 kilowatts , the XAF featured a " bedspring " - like antenna about 17 feet square . This was mounted in a rotating yoke that allowed it to scan around the horizon , and to elevate for what was hoped would be improved aircraft detection . This large antenna and yoke had to be strong enough for sea service , while remaining as light as possible to avoid excessive topside weight . Accordingly , the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation ( then also building the Navy ' s first monoplane shipboard fighter , the F2A " Buffalo " ) , was given the job of fabricating a suitable duralumin structure . The XAF ' s transmitter , receiver and other equipment were made by NRL . Testing . When development and construction were complete , the XAF was installed on the battleship New York . This work , with the antenna mounted atop the pilothouse ( where it displaced a large rangefinder — moved to the top of the ship ' s Number Two 14 - inch gun turret ) was completed in December 1938 . During nearly three months of constant operation , averaging almost twenty hours daily as New York participated in winter maneuvers and battle practice in the Caribbean , the XAF ' s performance and reliability exceeded expectations . It detected aircraft up to 100 nautical miles ( nm ) away and ships out to 15 nm . The radar was also employed for navigation and in gunnery practice , spotting the fall of shot and even tracking projectiles in flight . Use and evolution . At the conclusion of these tests , New York ' s Commanding Officer recommended installation of radar in all aircraft carriers ( whose vulnerability to surprise air attack was very well - understood ) , while the Commander of the Atlantic Squadron commented " The XAF equipment is one of the most important military developments since the advent of radio . . . " . Later in 1939 , the XAF was reengineered and placed in production by the Radio Corporation of America ( RCA ) . Designated CXAM , six of these production models were delivered in 1940 and installed on an aircraft carrier , a battleship and four cruisers . An improved version , CXAM - 1 , with a simplified antenna , was produced in greater numbers . By the time the United States entered World War II in December 1941 , the use of radar in the U . S . Navy was rapidly expanding . On exhibit . The XAF radar ' s antenna survived World War II as a historic artifact . For several decades in the middle and later Twentieth Century it was exhibited in Willard Park , close to the Washington Navy Yard ' s waterfront . However , the outdoor environment contributed to serious deterioration in the antenna ' s condition , and it was placed in storage in the mid - 1990s . In May 2008 it was loaned to the Historical Electronics Museum , located in Linthicum , Maryland , where it is to be restored and again placed on public exhibit . This article includes text from the public domain