Target indicator

Target Indicators, also known as target markers or TI's for short, were flares used by the RAF's Bomber Command during World War II. TI's were normally dropped by the Pathfinders on the target, providing an easily seen visual aiming point for the following bombers to aim at. After their introduction, the use of TI's expanded to include en-route markers to gather up lost aircraft, additional drops of TI's to keep the target lit over long periods, and various changes in technique to address German defences.

The use of TI's allowed the RAF to concentrate its advanced navigational systems in the Pathfinder units. Most widely used were the H2S radar and Oboe system, the former requiring considerable training to be useful, the latter able to guide only a single aircraft at a time. The limited number of navigational units meant that spreading them through the force would have limited effects. By concentrating these in a single Group and having them drop TI's, the accurate fixes could be used to guide the entire attack. The same basic system had been used by the Luftwaffe's Kampfgruppe 100 during The Blitz, for similar reasons.