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 ballistic trajectory.
The Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs", into all-weather precision-guided munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, giving them a published range of up to 15 nautical miles (28 km). JDAM-equipped bombs range from 500 pounds (227 kg) to 2,000 pounds (907 kg). When installed on a bomb, the JDAM kit is given a GBU nomenclature, superseding the Mark 80 or BLU nomenclature of the bomb to which it is attached.
William Higinbotham was an American physicist. A member of the team that developed the first nuclear bomb, he later became a leader in the nonproliferation movement. He also has a place in the history of video games for his 1958 creation of Tennis for Two, the first interactive analog computer game and one of the first electronic games to use a graphical display.
A laser-guided bomb (LGB) is a guided bomb that uses semi-active laser guidance to strike a designated target with greater accuracy than an unguided bomb. First developed by the United States during the Vietnam War, laser-guided bombs quickly proved their value in precision strikes of difficult point targets. These weapons use on-board electronics to track targets that are designated by laser, typically in the infrared spectrum, and adjust their glide path to precisely strike the target. Since the weapon is tracking a light signature, not the object itself, the target must be illuminated from a separate source, either by ground forces, by a pod on the attacking aircraft, or by a separate support aircraft.
Data from Vietnam showed that laser-guided bombs achieved direct hits nearly 50% of the time, versus just 5.5% for unguided bombs. Because of this dramatically higher precision, laser-guided munitions can carry less explosive and cause less collateral damage than unguided munitions. Today, laser-guided bombs are one of the most common and widespread guided bombs, used by a large number of the world's air forces.
The Mark 81 250 lb (113 kg) general purpose bomb is the smallest of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs.
In military aviation, area bombardment is a type of aerial bombardment that is targeted indiscriminately at a large area, such as a city block or an entire city. The term "area bombing" came into prominence during World War II.
Precision bombing refers to the attempted aerial bombing of a target with some degree of accuracy, with the aim of maximising target damage or limiting collateral damage. An example would be destroying a single building in a built up area causing minimal damage to the surroundings. Precision bombing was initially tried by both the Allied and Central Powers during World War I, however it was found to be ineffective because the technology did not allow for sufficient accuracy. Therefore, the air forces turned to area bombardment, which killed civilians. Since the War, the development and adoption of guided munitions has greatly increased the accuracy of aerial bombing. Because the accuracy achieved in bombing is dependent on the available technology, the "precision" of precision bombing is relative to the time period.
The GBU-37 Global Positioning System Aided Munition (GAM) was developed for use with the B-2 Bomber. The bomb can penetrate hardened targets or targets buried deep underground. The first all-weather precision-guided bunker buster, it became operational in 1997. It has been replaced on the B-2 by the 5,000-pound GPS-aided/INS-guided GBU-28.
A guided bomb is a precision-guided munition designed to achieve a smaller circular error probable (CEP).
The M982 Excalibur is a 155 mm extended range guided artillery shell developed during a collaborative effort between the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC). The Excalibur was manufactured by prime contractor Raytheon Missile Systems and BAE Systems AB. It is a GPS and inertial-guided munition capable of being used in close support situations within 75–150 metres (246–492 ft) of friendly troops or in situations where targets might be prohibitively close to civilians to attack with conventional unguided artillery fire. In 2015 the United States planned to procure 7,474 rounds with a FY2015 total program cost of US$1.9341 billion at an average cost of US$258,777 per unit. By 2016, unit costs were reduced to US$68,000 per round. Versions that add laser-guidance capability and are designed to be fired from naval guns began testing in 2015. As of October 2018, over 1,400 rounds had been fired in combat.
The Armement Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) "Hammer" is a French Precision-Guided Munition developed by Safran Electronics & Defense. AASM comprises a frontal guidance kit and a rear-mounted range extension kit matched to a dumb bomb. The weapon is modular because it can integrate different types of guidance units and different types of bombs.
Robotkid is the alias of Josh Randall, an electronic dance musician, video artist, and video game developer from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Along with PK, he was part of the mid-1990s synthcore band Institute of Technology. He is the former Creative Director at Harmonix Music Systems, the video game studio responsible for the Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band series. Prior to Harmonix, Randall worked for Looking Glass Studios. Like Freezepop, whose Kasson Crooker also works for Harmonix, Robotkid's music has made appearances on the studio's game releases.
The GBU-44/B Viper Strike glide bomb is a GPS-aided laser-guided variant of the Northrop Grumman Brilliant Anti-Tank (BAT) munition which originally had a combination acoustic and infrared homing seeker. The system was initially intended for use from UAVs, and it has also been integrated with the Lockheed AC-130 gunship, giving that aircraft a precision stand-off capability. The Viper Strike is now produced by MBDA.
The Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser system is a US tail kit for use with the TMD family of cluster bombs to convert them to precision-guided munitions. In 1997 the United States Air Force issued contracts to complete development and begin production of the WCMD, planning to modify 40,000 tactical munitions dispensers at a cost of US$8,937 per unit. The CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon when fitted with the WCMD is known as the CBU-105; this anti-armor weapon was deployed but not used during Operation Allied Force in the Kosovo War, and fired in combat during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
GB-4 was a precision guided munition developed by the United States during World War II. It was one of the precursors of modern anti-ship missiles.
LS is an abbreviation for a family of Chinese built precision guided munitions (PGM) named Thunder Stone Precision Guided Bomb ({{zh|c=雷石精确制导炸弹) developed by Luoyang Electro-Optics Technology Development Centre (EOTDC), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Alternatively, the LS PGB is also referred by its gliding capability, as Thunder Stone Gliding Guided Bomb ({{zh|c=雷石滑翔制导炸弹), or LS GGB. The guidance design of LS PGB is also adopted for another family of Chinese PGM, the YZ series, such as YZ-102 series. These PGMs are referred in China as precision guided bombs (PGB).
The Griffin Laser Guided Bomb is a laser-guided bomb system made by Israel Aerospace Industries' MBT missile division. It is an add-on kit which is used to retrofit existing Mark 82, Mark 83, and Mark 84 and other "dumb fire" gravity bombs, making them into laser-guided smart bombs. Initial development completed in 1990.
SMArt 155 is a German 155 mm artillery round, designed for a long range, indirect fire top attack role against armoured vehicles. The SMArt carrier shell contains two submunitions with infrared sensor and millimeter wave radar, which descend over the battlefield on ballutes and attack hardened targets with explosively formed penetrator warheads. Built with multiple redundant self-destruct mechanisms, these submunitions were specifically designed to fall outside the category of submunition weapons prohibited by the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions.
The SMKB (Smart-MK-Bomb) is a guidance kit that turns a standard Mk 82 (500 lbs) and Mk 83 (1.000 lbs) into a Precision-guided weapon, respectively called SMKB-82 and SMKB-83. The kit provides extended range up to 50 kilometres (27 nmi) and are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to three satellites networks, relying on wireless to handle the flow of data between the aircraft and the munition.
