Aerial bomb without guidance, designed for ballistic delivery
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An unguided 500 lb (230 kg) Mark 82 bomb with no retarder
An unguided bomb, also known as a free-fall bomb, gravity bomb, dumb bomb, or iron bomb, is an aircraft-dropped bomb (conventional or nuclear) that does not contain a guidance system and hence simply follows a ballistic trajectory. It includes all aircraft bombs in general service until the latter half of World War II, and the vast majority until the late 1980s, which were known simply as "bombs".
Then, with the dramatically increased use of precision-guided munitions, a retronym was needed to separate "smart bombs" from free-fall bombs. "Dumb bomb" was used for a time, but many military circles felt it sounded trite, and eventually "gravity bomb" gained popularity.
Bomb casings for unguided bombs are typically aerodynamic in shape, often with fins at the tail section, which reduce drag and increase stability after release, both of which serve to improve accuracy and consistency of trajectory.
Unguided bombs typically use a contact fuze for detonation upon impact, or some milliseconds after if a penetration effect is required. Alternatives include a fuze with an altimeter to cause an air burst at the desired altitude, and a proximity fuze to cause an air burst at a specific distance from the ground or other target.
An unguidedbomb, also known as a free-fall bomb, gravity bomb, dumb bomb, or iron bomb, is an aircraft-dropped bomb (conventional or nuclear) that does...
bomb. It is the largest of the Mark 80 series of weapons. Entering service during the Vietnam War, it became a commonly used US heavy unguidedbomb to...
fraction of the cost—sometimes by installing flight control kits on simple unguidedbombs—and they are very difficult for surface-to-air missiles to intercept...
that a carpet covers a floor. Carpet bombing is usually achieved by dropping many unguidedbombs. Carpet bombing of cities, towns, villages, or other...
Kosvinsky is protected by about 1,000 feet (300 m) of granite. The B61 unguidedbomb should not be confused with the MGM-1 Matador cruise missile, which...
munitions resulted in the retroactive renaming of older bombs as unguidedbombs or "dumb bombs". Guided bombs carry a guidance system which is usually monitored...
The B83 is a variable-yield thermonuclear gravity bomb developed by the United States in the late 1970s that entered service in 1983. With a maximum yield...
The Mark 82 is a 500-pound (230 kg) unguided, low-drag general-purpose bomb, part of the United States Mark 80 series. The explosive filling is usually...
minimize collateral damage and civilian casualties. Guided or unguided concrete bombs may also be used for training pilots and ground personnel, due...
Fauzan (3 August 2023). "SINKEX: Indonesian Frigate Sunk by Missiles and Bombs". Naval News. Retrieved 20 February 2024. "MK12 "Restu Ibu," Bom Udara Andalan...
A barrel bomb is an improvised unguidedbomb, sometimes described as a flying IED (improvised explosive device). They are typically made from a large...
ODAB-500PM and ODAB-500PMV unguidedbombs carry a 190 kg (420 lb) fuel–air explosive each. ODAB-1500 is a larger version of the bomb. The KAB-1500S GLONASS/GPS...
guidance kit that converts unguidedbombs, or "dumb bombs", into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated...
still be fully functioning. A bomb or, more specifically, a guided or unguidedbomb (also called an aircraft bomb or aerial bomb), is typically an airdropped...
Radar Bomb Scoring is a combat aviation ground support operation used to evaluate Cold War aircrews' effectiveness with simulated unguidedbomb drops...
Look up bomb in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an...
of projectiles, especially ranged weapon munitions such as bullets, unguidedbombs, rockets or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating...
since they already had experience in the development and production of unguidedbombs. Fritz X was guided by a Kehl-Strasbourg radio control link, which sent...
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