Guided bomb

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"Smart bomb" redirects here. For other uses, see Smart bomb (disambiguation).
BOLT-117, the world's first laser-guided bomb

A guided bomb (also known as a smart bomb, guided bomb unit, or GBU) is a precision-guided munition designed to achieve a smaller circular error probable (CEP).[1][2]

The creation of precision-guided munitions resulted in the retroactive renaming of older bombs as unguided bombs or "dumb bombs".

Guidance

Main article: Missile guidance
BLU-109
warhead variant) strikes its target.

Guided bombs carry a guidance system which is usually monitored and controlled from an external device. A guided bomb of a given weight must carry fewer explosives to accommodate the guidance mechanisms.

Radio

Main article: Command guidance

The Germans were first to introduce Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) in combat, using the 1,400-kg (3,100 lb)

Gargoyle; it never entered service.[3]
No Japanese remotely guided PGMs ever saw service in World War II.

The United States Army Air Forces used similar techniques with Operation Aphrodite, but had few successes; the German Mistel (Mistletoe) "parasite aircraft" was no more effective.

The U.S. programs restarted in the

Thanh Hoa Bridge
, for instance, was attacked repeatedly with gravity bombs, to no effect, only to be dropped in one mission with PGMs.

Although not as popular as the newer

F/A-18 Hornets
.

Infrared

Main article: Infrared homing

In World War II, the U.S. National Defense Research Committee developed the VB-6 Felix, which used infrared to home on ships. While it entered production in 1945, it was never employed operationally.[4]

Laser

Main article: Laser guidance
GBU-10 shortly before it impacts a small boat during a training exercise

In 1962, the US Army began research into laser guidance systems and by 1967 the USAF had conducted a competitive evaluation leading to full development of the world's first laser-guided bomb, the BOLT-117, in 1968. All such bombs work in much the same way, relying on the target being illuminated, or "painted," by a laser target designator on the ground or on an aircraft. They have the significant disadvantage of not being usable in poor weather where the target illumination cannot be seen, or where it is not possible to get a target designator near the target. The laser designator sends its beam in a series of encrypted pulses so the bomb cannot be confused by an ordinary laser, and also so multiple designators can operate in reasonable proximity.

Laser-guided weapons did not become commonplace until the advent of the microchip. They made their practical debut in Vietnam, where on 13 May 1972 when they were used in the second successful attack on the Thanh Hoa Bridge ("Dragon's Jaw"). This structure had previously been the target of 800 American sorties

cluster bombs. Laser-guided weapons were used in large numbers during the 1999 Kosovo War
, but their effectiveness was often reduced by the poor weather conditions prevalent in the southern Balkans.

There are two basic families of laser-guided bombs in American (and American-sphere) service: the

F-111F
aircraft to destroy Iraqi armored vehicles in a process referred to as "tank plinking."

Satellite

F-22 releases a JDAM
from its center internal bay while flying at supersonic speed

Lessons learned during the first Gulf War showed the value of precision munitions, yet they also highlighted the difficulties in employing them—specifically when visibility of the ground or target from the air was degraded.

inertial navigation in the event of GPS signal loss. Inertial navigation is significantly less accurate; the JDAM achieves a published circular error probable (CEP) of 13 m under GPS guidance, but typically only 30 m under inertial guidance (with free fall times of 100 seconds or less).[8][9]

HOPE/HOSBO of the Luftwaffe with a combination of GPS/INS and electro-optical guidance

The precision of these weapons is dependent both on the precision of the measurement system used for location determination and the precision in setting the coordinates of the target. The latter critically depends on intelligence information, not all of which is accurate. According to a CIA report, the accidental

Operation Allied Force by NATO aircraft was attributed to faulty target information.[10]
However, if the targeting information is accurate, satellite-guided weapons are significantly more likely to achieve a successful strike in any given weather conditions than any other type of precision-guided munition. Other military satellite guidance systems include: Russian
BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System, Japanese regional Quasi-Zenith Satellite System
.

History

The guided bomb had its origins in World War II. Its usage increased after the success of the weapon in the Gulf War.

World War II

BAT guided bomb

In World War II, the aforementioned Fritz X and

USAAF would do with the Azon in hitting bridges and other hard-to-hit targets in both Western Europe and Burma. Later, U.S. National Defense Research Committee developed the VB-6 Felix, which used infrared to home on ships. While it entered production in 1945, it was never employed operationally.[11]

Korean War

The US briefly deployed the ASM-A-1 Tarzon (or VB-13 Tarson) bomb (a Tallboy fitted with radio guidance) during the Korean War, dropping them from Boeing B-29 Superfortresses.

Vietnam War

In 1962, the US Army began research into laser guidance systems and by 1967 the USAF had conducted a competitive evaluation leading to full development of the world's first laser-guided bomb, the BOLT-117, in 1968.

Gulf War

F-111F aircraft to destroy Iraqi armored vehicles in a process referred to as "tank plinking
".

War on Terror

Lessons learned during the first Gulf War showed the value of guided bombs, with precision-guided munitions accounting for 70% of munitions expended during Operation Enduring Freedom.[12]

Advanced guidance concepts

Responding to after-action reports from pilots who employed laser and/or satellite guided weapons,

Small Diameter Bomb
, these same aircraft can carry more bombs if necessary, and have the option of satellite or laser guidance for each weapon release.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Hamilton, Richard (1995). "Precision guided munitions and the new era of warfare". Air Power Studies Centre, Royal Australian Air Force. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
  2. British Pathé
    newsreel 52/51A, June 23, 1952. Accessed 2013-04-04.
  3. ^ Fitzsimons, op. cit., Volume 10, p.1090, "Gargoyle".
  4. ^ Fitzsimons, op. cit., Volume 9, p.926, "Felix".
  5. ^ Thanh Hoa Bridge Archived 2005-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Britain's Small Wars Archived 2011-01-20 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ JDAM continues to be warfighter's weapon of choice
  8. ^ U.S. Air Force Factsheets: Joint Direct Attack Munition
  9. ^ JDAM Specifications
  10. ^ DCI Statement on the Belgrade Chinese Embassy Archived 2006-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Fitzsimons, op. cit., Volume 9, p.926, "Felix".
  12. ^ Lambeth, Benjamin S. (2005). "Air Power Against Terror: America's Conduct of Operation Enduring Freedom" (PDF). RAND Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-10-21.
  13. ^ Boeing Laser JDAM Archived 2006-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ Raytheon Enhanced Paveway Archived 2008-03-07 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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