Gravity bomb

Gravity bomb

[
thumb|An_unguided_500_lb_Mark 82 bomb.] A gravity bomb is an aircraft-delivered bomb that does not contain a guidance system and hence, simply follows a ballistic trajectory.

This described all aircraft bombs in general service until the latter half of World War II, and the vast majority until the late 1980s.

Then, with the dramatically increased use of precision guided munitions, a new term was needed to separate 'smart bombs' from those that weren't. Dumb bomb was used for a time, but many military circles felt it sounded too trite, and eventually 'gravity bomb' gained currency. Previously, they were also referred to as iron bombs.

A special type of gravity bomb is the retarded gravity bomb, which uses a mechanical method of creating increased drag, such as a parachute, ballute, or drag-inducing petals. These deploy after the ordnance is released, slowing its fall and abbreviating its forward trajectory, giving the aircraft time to get clear of the blast zone when bombing from low altitudes or with nuclear ordnance.

ee also

* Constantly computed impact point
* General-purpose bomb


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • gravity bomb — noun a bomb that falls because of gravity and is not guided to a target • Syn: ↑dumb bomb • Ant: ↑smart bomb (for: ↑dumb bomb) • Hypernyms: ↑bomb …   Useful english dictionary

  • Gravity's Rainbow — Infobox Book name = Gravity s Rainbow image caption = First edition cover design author = Thomas Pynchon country = United States language = English cover artist = series = genre = Historical novel, Postmodern literature, Hysterical realism… …   Wikipedia

  • bomb — bombable, adj. /bom/, n. 1. Mil. a projectile, formerly usually spherical, filled with a bursting charge and exploded by means of a fuze, by impact, or otherwise, now generally designed to be dropped from an aircraft. 2. any similar missile or… …   Universalium

  • Unguided bomb — An unguided 227 kg (500lb) Mark 82 bomb. An unguided bomb, also known as a free fall bomb, gravity bomb, dumb bomb, or iron bomb, is a conventional aircraft delivered bomb that does not contain a guidance system and hence, simply follows a… …   Wikipedia

  • dumb bomb — noun a bomb that falls because of gravity and is not guided to a target • Syn: ↑gravity bomb • Ant: ↑smart bomb • Hypernyms: ↑bomb …   Useful english dictionary

  • Grand Slam bomb — Infobox Weapon name = Grand Slam caption = A Grand Slam bomb being handled origin = United Kingdom type = Conventional (gravity) bomb is ranged = is bladed = is explosive = Yes is artillery = is vehicle = is missile = is UK = Yes service = 1945… …   Wikipedia

  • Bat (guided bomb) — Infobox Weapon name= BAT (guided bomb) origin=United States type= Conventional is ranged= is bladed= is explosive=yes is artillery= is vehicle= is UK=yes service = 1942 (Bomb MK 57)cite web|last=|first=|url=http://www.designation… …   Wikipedia

  • B61 nuclear bomb — The B61 nuclear bomb is the primary thermonuclear weapon in the U.S. Enduring Stockpile following the end of the Cold War. DevelopmentThe B61, originally known (before 1968) as the TX 61, was designed in 1963. It was designed and built by the Los …   Wikipedia

  • B83 nuclear bomb — The B83 nuclear weapon is a variable yield gravity bomb developed by the United States in the late 1970s, entering service in 1983. It was based partly on the earlier B77 program, which was terminated due to cost overruns. The first underground… …   Wikipedia

  • Mark 21 nuclear bomb — The Mark 21 nuclear bomb was a United States nuclear gravity bomb first produced in 1955. It was based on the TX 21 Shrimp prototype that had been detonated during the Castle Bravo test in March 1954. While most of the Operation Castle tests were …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”