yosimitesam
Airman 1st Class
Not so strange in looks but strange in concept: the A-20 Turbinlight. An attempt at night fighting wherein the A-20 used its medium wave radar (AI Mk IV, antenna in the nose) to locate the enemy at night and then turn its very bright spotlight ('turbinlight', behind the antenna) onto the enemy aircraft. It had no guns, however, but two accompanying single-engine fighters were supposed to shoot the illuminated enemy down while trying not to collide with each other or the A-20. As soon as the light came on, the enemy would start wild evasion maneuvers and all three would be flailing around, like on person trying to hold a flashlight (torch) on a moth flying in pitch dark room while two other silly buggers with fly swatters try to smack it . This outlandish "experiment" was attempted way longer than you can imagine before being dropped as 'impractical.' As one detractor wrote in his report: 'If you can get close enough to put a spotlight on the enemy then you are bloody well close enough to put some 20mm cannon fire on it instead.'