Halifax bomber

Is it possible for the Halifax bomber to be the first airborne warning and control aircraft or would a new build aircraft be needed?
 
I'm thinking that if the RAF used wellies as awacs to co-ordinate night fights for the blitz would the losses to the Luftwaffe be higher and the impact of the bomber will always get through lobby
 
So then you'd have to find away to get the Mk III and Mk IV Airborne Interception Radar into service before 1940, else the blitz goes as planned with the Mk I and II AI radars being a help, but not a tide turner like the Mk IV.


If you want to red up more on it here's the wiki "Mk. IV Radar"
 
Why the "Hallibag"? Just curious.
The Lancaster would have been a far more suitable airframe for this purpose.
I'm assuming that you're trying to "re-purpose" obsolescent airframes towards the end of the war?
Not certain that this would be a net gain for the RAF at this point, the airborne radar units then in Naval Use were rather primitive after all.
In the post-war world there were thousands of surplus Lancasters available so hanging on to a few dozen Halifaxes (and maintaining a supply chain for them) makes no sense whatsoever.
The Halifax (while far better than the Stirling) was an utter failure (altitude/range/payload), when held against the Lanc.; an "also-ran" at best, and a nightmare for the supply chain in some regards.
This is one of the reasons why Canada set up Victory Aircraft to build Packard powered Lanc's under license for 6 Group; the Air Ministry seemed to think that "fobbing off" the Halifax production to the "colonials" was a "fair" thing to do. The Halifax was suitable as a gap filler, while the production of Lancaster's was ramped up towards the Spring of 1944. God knows it was better than trundling over Germany at 15,000 ft in a loaded Stirling.
 
The Halifax would be fine as an A.E.W. aircraft, but with plenty of the now obsolescent Wellingtons around why would they use a first class bomber? If they want the safety net of having four engines instead of two the Stirling is more likely to be the aircraft they use.
 
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Just for the sake of mentioning the obvious to the ignorant. The RAF's first operational AEW was the Vickers Wellington used for directing night fighters over the North Sea in 1944.
 
On the PAM Time line there will be Vickers Warwick A.E.W by spring 1941. As of July 1940 in that time line AI MIV is already in service. I chose the Warwick because it is not in service with Bomber Command and therefore there is no conflict in taking away an operational bomber.
 
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