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GB-1
} The GB-1, also known as the "Grapefruit bomb" and as XM-108,379th 2000 p.39. was a glide bomb produced by Aeronca Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Intended to allow bombers to release bombs from outside the range of enemy defenses, over one thousand GB-1s were used in combat before the end of the war. Design and development The U.S. Army Air Corps – which would later become the U.S. Army Air Forces – initiated development of a glide bomb design in March 1941.Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.119. Intended to allow bombers to stand off outside the range of enemy flak while releasing their bombload, while also potentially allowing for more precise targeting due to the shallow glide path the bomb would follow, the design resulted in three prototypes; one developed by Aeronca designated GB-1; a design by Bellanca designated GB-2, and the Timm Aircraft-designed GB-3.Parsch 2003 The GB-1 mated a wing and twin-tail empennage of conventional small-ai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glide Bomb
A glide bomb or stand-off bomb is a standoff weapon with flight control surfaces to give it a flatter, gliding flight path than that of a conventional bomb without such surfaces. This allows it to be released at a distance from the target rather than right over it, allowing a successful attack without the aircraft needing to survive until reaching the target. World War II-era glide bombs like the German Fritz X and Henschel Hs 293 pioneered the use of remote control systems, allowing the controlling aircraft to direct the bomb to a pinpoint target as a pioneering form of precision-guided munition. Modern systems are generally self-guided or semi-automated, using GPS or laser designators to hit their target. The term " glide bombing" does not refer to the use of glide bombs, but a style of shallow-angle dive bombing. Early efforts German designs World War I In October 1914 Wilhelm von Siemens suggested what became known as the Siemens torpedo glider, a wire-guided fl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
