Description
PP-493/APG-30 Power Supply–Range Computer for AN/APG-30 Aircraft Radar Gunsight
Item Overview
This PP-493/APG-30 Power Supply–Range Computer was a major electronic component of the AN/APG-30 aircraft radar gunsight system. It combined the radar’s power supply, receiver electronics, and automatic range computer in one assembly. The unit processed radar echoes to measure the distance to an airborne target and supplied that range information to the aircraft’s computing gunsight. This helped the pilot obtain a more accurate aiming solution when firing the aircraft’s fixed guns.
Identification and Features
The PP-493/APG-30 designation appears in Air Force Manual AFM 335-25, dated February 1956. The identification plate carries manufacturer code CQC for Admiral Corporation, contract number NOas 52-846, and the apparent serial number 209. A separate RANGE COMPUTER tag records an electrical inspection and heat run completed in October 1952. These markings identify the assembly and provide a documented connection to its early Cold War service period.
- Official designation: Power Supply–Range Computer PP-493/APG-30
- Parent equipment: AN/APG-30 aircraft radar gunsight system
- Manufacturer code: CQC, Admiral Corporation
- Contract number: NOas 52-846
- Apparent serial number: 209
- Inspection and heat-run date: October 1952
- Combined power-supply, receiver, and range-computer functions
Historical Background
The PP-493/APG-30 was developed during the early years of jet-powered military aviation. Computing gunsights could correct the aiming point for aircraft movement and target motion, but accurate target range remained essential. The AN/APG-30 added automatic radar ranging to this process. The PP-493/APG-30 served as the system’s central power, receiving, and range-computing unit. Its compact combination of several electronic functions reflects the effort to fit increasingly capable fire-control equipment inside the limited space available in a fighter aircraft.
End-Item Application
The North American F-86 Sabre is the strongest documented aircraft application for the AN/APG-30 system. The radar worked with the fighter’s computing gunsight and forward-firing gun armament. Smithsonian collection records also associate AN/APG-30 fire-control components with the Republic F-84 aircraft family. The F-86 connection is documented for the radar system, while the F-84 connection is supported by surviving system-component records from the same early jet period.
How It Worked
The AN/APG-30 transmitted short radar pulses from an antenna mounted in the aircraft’s nose. Reflections from an aircraft ahead returned to the radar receiver. Inside the PP-493/APG-30, the receiver detected and amplified those echo signals. The range computer produced an electronic range gate, searched for the selected echo, locked onto it, and tracked the target as the distance changed. It then produced a direct-current voltage proportional to the measured range and sent that signal to the computing gunsight. The gunsight used the range input with its other aiming information to move the illuminated aiming image seen by the pilot.
Weapon-System Background
The AN/APG-30 was a pulse-type, X-band, range-only radar designed for use with A-1 and A-4 computing gunsights. Its principal assemblies included the antenna, transmitter and frequency-converter equipment, tracking indicator, voltage regulator, and PP-493/APG-30 Power Supply–Range Computer. Air Force documentation lists an operating range of approximately 600 to 8,000 feet, depending on the target and operating conditions. The radar searched a narrow area ahead of the fighter and supplied distance information rather than the full visual display produced by larger search radars.
History of Use
Radar-ranging gunsights became important during the Korean War and the early Cold War, when jet fighters met at higher speeds and firing opportunities could be brief. F-86 Sabre pilots used radar-derived range information when making gun attacks against enemy aircraft. The system reduced the pilot’s dependence on estimating distance by eye while continuing to require accurate target tracking and proper aircraft positioning. AN/APG-30 equipment also formed part of the wider development of radar-assisted fire control used in American fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft during the 1950s.
Condition
This surplus electronic assembly retains its PP-493/APG-30 identification plate and RANGE COMPUTER inspection and heat-run tag dated October 1952. Visible markings include manufacturer code CQC, contract number NOas 52-846, and the serial number 209. Please review the stock photographs for the exterior finish, electrical connectors, mounting points, hardware, and overall condition of the Item.
Ideal For
This original range-computer assembly is suited for collections and displays focused on early jet aviation, military radar, aircraft gunsights, and Cold War fire-control technology. Its documented designation and dated inspection tag provide valuable identification for an F-86 Sabre exhibit, an avionics restoration project, or a technical museum display.
- F-86 Sabre restoration and display projects
- Early jet-fighter avionics collections
- Aircraft radar and gunsight exhibits
- Cold War aviation museums
- Military electronics displays
Approx length 17", Approx width 10", Approx height 8.5", Approx weight 27.7lbs.
Pictures are stock images of our inventory. Unless otherwise noted, you will not be receiving the exact item shown in the pictures. The pictures are representative of the item’s general condition. The item you receive might be slightly better, or worse, condition than was shown in the pictures.
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