Azon

Azon

Infobox Weapon
name= AZON


caption= AZON, the first smart bomb developed by the United States.
origin= United States
type= Smart bombs
is_ranged=yes
is_bladed=
is_explosive=yes
is_artillery=
is_vehicle=
is_missile=yes
is_UK=
service= 1944
used_by= United States (Allies)
wars= World War II
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weight= convert|1000|lb|kg
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vehicle_range= convert|5000|ft|m
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guidance= Radio Control System

AZON (AZimuth ONly) was one of the world's first smart bombs, deployed by the Allies and contemporary with the German Fritz X.

Officially designated VB-1 (Vertical Bomb), it was invented by Major Henry J. Rand and Thomas J. O'Donnell during the latter stages of World War II, as the answer to the difficult problem of destroying the narrow wooden bridges that supported much of the Burma Railway.

AZON was essentially a 1,000 lb (450 kg) bomb with an octagonal ring-style radio controlled tail fin design, allowing adjustment of the vertical trajectory in two planes, making basically a guided fall. There were gyroscopes mounted in the bomb to stabilise it, and a radio control system, which had about three minutes of battery life, long enough to guide it from a 5,000 foot (1,500 m) drop height. On the tail of the bomb was a 600,000 candela flare, to enable the pilot to observe it from the control aircraft. It was dropped from a modified B-24 Liberator. Only ten crews, of the 458th Bombardment Group, based at RAF Horsham St Faith, were trained to drop the device.

References & Footnotes

ee also

* Fritz X
* Razon
* GB-8
* List of anti-ship missiles

External links

* [http://www.vectorsite.net/twbomb_04.html Allied & German guided weapons of WW2]
* [http://www.ausairpower.net/WW2-PGMs.html The Dawn of the Smart Bomb]
* [http://www.1jma.dk/articles/1jmaarticleshardware.htm Guided weapons of WW2]
* [http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app1/gb.html GB series weapons]


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