VB-3 Razon

Last updated
VB-3 Razon
VB-3 Razon 1 (ORDATA).jpg
Type Guided bomb
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service1945–1952
Used by United States Air Force
Production history
Designed1942–1945
No. built~3,000
Specifications
Mass1,000 pounds (450 kg)
EngineNone
Guidance
system
 Radio command
Launch
platform
 Boeing MB-17 Flying Fortress (tests) Boeing B-29 Superfortress

The VB-3 Razon was a high-angle freefall guided bomb developed by the United States Army Air Force during the 1940s. Razon (for Range and AZimuth Only) was a standard AN-M65 1,000-pound general-purpose bomb, the same basic ordnance unit used for its AZimuth-ONly guided predecessor, the VB-1 Azon guided ordnance, with the Razon concept fitted with flight control surfaces that also enabled adjustment in the vertical plane, like the Luftwaffe's heavier Fritz X armored anti-ship guided ordnance. Development of the Razon began in 1942, but it did not see use during World War II [1] although it was combat ready in the summer of 1945. The VB-4 used a 2,000-pound bomb. [2] [3]

Contents

Development

In April 1942, the USAAF's Air Materiel Command [became part of ATSC (Air Technical Service Command) in 1944] began the development of the Azon family (VB-1 half-ton and VB-2 one-ton) guided bombs. [4] [5] Following on the VB-1 Azon bomb (azimuth-only), the Razons used two tandem annular wing assemblies, the aft assembly used for control. "The Razon guidance kit had two octagonal shrouds (similar to the 12-sided annular tail of the Fritz X guided ordnance) in a tandem arrangement. The most problematic part in Razon development was to build a suitably modified bombsight, which would allow the bombardier to correctly judge the bomb's deviation in range so that the range control could be used effectively." [6] [7] The guidance command link used up to 47 preset channels. Around 3,000 Razons were built during 1945. [8] [9] Azon and Razon testing continued through mid-1946 in the Mojave Desert of California. [10]

In 1946, extensive tests were done on Razon by the Air Proving Ground Command, Eglin Field, Florida, "contemplating using the missile aboard all-weather bombers. Nothing materialized, however, until the Korean War when the Far East Air Forces ordered and used the Tarzon, a Tallboy-Razon combination." [11] [12]

In 1948, testing by the 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group at Eglin still showed Razon to be far more accurate in azimuth than range. "For example, of the eight bombs tested in August 1948, fully three out of four had an azimuth error of zero, while the average range error was almost 200 feet. Only one of the eight scored a direct hit. Still, Razon bombing showed enough promise in early testing that approximately five hundred tail assemblies were produced by Union Switch and Signal Company and stockpiled, allowing their use in the early months of the Korean War."[ citation needed ]

Operational use

The Razon weapon did not see significant use until the Korean War, where B-29s carrying up to 8 rounds were used to attack bridges in the early months of the war. [13] [14] Several hundred Razons "were dropped on North Korean bridges, and although the overall reliability of the bombs was rather low, some targets were actually destroyed. However, in general multiple hits by the small the 450 kg (1000 lb) bombs were needed to destroy a large bridge span, and the USAF's use of guided bombs for these special missions switched to the much larger VB-13/ASM-A-1 Tarzon." [15] [16] "Despite these difficulties, B-29 bombardiers destroyed 15 bridges with Razon bombs." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azon</span> American guided bomb

AZON, from "azimuth only", was one of the world's first guided weapons, deployed by the Allies and contemporary with the German Fritz X.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASM-N-2 Bat</span> Conventional

The ASM-N-2 Bat was a United States Navy World War II radar-guided glide bomb which was used in combat beginning in April 1944. It was developed and overseen by a unit within the National Bureau of Standards with assistance from the Navy's Bureau of Ordnance, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Bell Telephone Laboratories. It is considered to be the first fully automated guided missile used in combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guided bomb</span> Type of weapon

A guided bomb is a precision-guided munition designed to achieve a smaller circular error probable (CEP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Project Kingfisher</span> Anti-ship missiles

Project Kingfisher was a weapons-development program initiated by the United States Navy during the latter part of World War II. Intended to provide aircraft and surface ships with the ability to deliver torpedoes to targets from outside the range of defensive armament, six different missile concepts were developed; four were selected for full development programs, but only one reached operational service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VB-6 Felix</span> American infrared homing guided bomb

The VB-6 Felix was a precision-guided munition developed by the United States during World War II. It used an infrared seeker to attack targets like blast furnaces or the metal roofs of large factories. The war ended before it could be used operationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LBD Gargoyle</span> Anti-ship missile / guided bomb

The LBD-1 Gargoyle was an American air-to-surface missile developed during World War II by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy. One of the precursors of modern anti-ship missiles, it was extensively used as a test vehicle during the late 1940s.

The Fletcher FBT-2 was a military trainer aircraft built in the United States in the early 1940s. Although it was never entered production as a trainer, it was ordered in small numbers as a target drone but when that was cancelled played a small part in the development of guided bombs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild BQ-3</span> Type of aircraft

The Fairchild BQ-3, also known as the Model 79, was an early expendable unmanned aerial vehicle – referred to at the time as an "assault drone" – developed by Fairchild Aircraft from the company's AT-21 Gunner advanced trainer during the Second World War for use by the United States Army Air Forces. Two examples of the type were built and flight-tested, but the progress of guided missiles rendered the assault drone quickly obsolete, and the type was not produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Aircraft Factory TDN</span> Type of aircraft

The Naval Aircraft Factory TDN was an early unmanned combat aerial vehicle - referred to at the time as an "assault drone" - developed by the United States Navy's Naval Aircraft Factory during the Second World War. Developed and tested during 1942 and 1943, the design proved moderately successful, but development of improved drones saw the TDN-1 relegated to second-line duties, and none were used in operational service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BOAR</span> Air-to-surface missile

The Bombardment Aircraft Rocket, also known as BOAR, the Bureau of Ordnance Aircraft Rocket, and officially as the 30.5-Inch Rocket, Mark 1, Mod 0, was an unguided air-to-surface rocket developed by the United States Navy's Naval Ordnance Test Station during the 1950s. Intended to provide a standoff nuclear capability for carrier-based aircraft, the rocket entered operational service in 1956, remaining in service until 1963.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ASM-A-1 Tarzon</span> Guided bomb

The ASM-A-1 Tarzon, also known as VB-13, was a guided bomb developed by the United States Army Air Forces during the late 1940s. Mating the guidance system of the earlier Razon radio-controlled weapon with a British Tallboy 12,000-pound (5,400 kg) bomb, the ASM-A-1 saw brief operational service in the Korean War before being withdrawn from service in 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GT-1 (missile)</span> Air-to-surface missile

The GT-1 was an early form of stand-off weaponry developed by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Intended to deliver an aerial torpedo at a safe range from the launching aircraft, the weapon proved successful enough in testing to be approved for operational use, and the GT-1 saw limited use in the closing stages of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JB-4</span> American air-to-surface missile prototype

The JB-4, also known as MX-607, was an early American air-to-surface missile developed by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Using television/radio-command guidance, the JB-4 reached the flight-testing stage before being cancelled at the end of the war.

1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group Military unit

The 1st Experimental Guided Missiles Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Air Proving Ground Command and stationed at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. It was inactivated on 22 July 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AAM-N-5 Meteor</span> Air-to-air missile

The AAM-N-5 Meteor was an early American air-to-air missile, developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bell Aircraft for the United States Navy. Initially, both air-launched and ship-launched versions were considered. Versions designed for launch from carrier-based aircraft proceeded to the flight testing stage before the project was cancelled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LTV-N-4</span> Experimental rocket

The LTV-N-4 was an American experimental rocket, developed by the Naval Ordnance Test Station for the development and testing of large solid-fueled rocket boosters for ramjet-powered missiles. Described as "more powerful than the V-2", a number of test flights were conducted during 1949.

Television guidance (TGM) is a type of missile guidance system using a television camera in the missile or glide bomb that sends its signal back to the launch platform. There, a weapons officer or bomb aimer watches the image on a television screen and sends corrections to the missile, typically over a radio control link. Television guidance is not a seeker because it is not automated, although semi-automated systems with autopilots to smooth out the motion are known. They should not be confused with contrast seekers, which also use a television camera but are true automated seeker systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CTV-N-2 Gorgon IIC</span> Propulsion test vehicle

The CTV-N-2 Gorgon IIC – also designated KGN, KUN, and CTV-2 – was an experimental drone, originally intended as a surface-to-surface missile, developed by the United States Navy near the end of World War II. It was used to test control and homing systems for guided missiles, and was also produced in small numbers as a target drone under the designations TD3N and KD2N.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaguar (American rocket)</span> United States Air Force sounding rocket

Jaguar was a three-stage sounding rocket developed by the United States Air Force in the early 1960s. Designed for air launch to allow soundings from remote areas without infrastructure, it was only launched twice before the project was abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelican (bomb)</span> Guided bomb

The Pelican, also known as Bomb Mark 55 and, in one version, SWOD Mark 7, was a guided bomb developed by the United States Navy during World War II. Guided by semi-active radar homing, Pelican was produced in 1,000 lb (450 kg) and 1,500 lb (680 kg) sizes; the program reached the stage of live trials before being cancelled.

References

  1. ↑ "VB-3 Razon Bomb".
  2. ↑ Parsch, Andreas, "Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones, VB Series, 2003.
  3. ↑ "VB Series".
  4. ↑ Parsch, Andreas, "Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones, VB Series, 2003.
  5. ↑ "VB Series".
  6. ↑ Parsch, Andreas, "Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones, VB Series, 2003.
  7. ↑ "VB Series".
  8. ↑ Kopp, Dr. Carlo, "The Dawn of the Smart Bomb, Technical Report APA-TR-2011-0302, Air Power Australia, 26 March 2011.
  9. ↑ Kopp, Carlo (26 March 2011). "The Dawn of the Smart Bomb". p. 1.
  10. ↑ Associated Press, "Mojave's Calm Shattered By Navy's Jets, Rockets: Pilotless Aircraft Experiments Sometimes Heart-Breaking; Fabulous Things Hinted", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 24 June 1946, Vol. 52, p. 1.
  11. ↑ Self, Mary R., "History of the Development of Guided Missiles, 1946-1950", Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, December 1951, pp. 32–34.
  12. ↑ Neufeld, Jacob, "The Development of Ballistic Missiles in the United States Air Force 1945-1960", Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force, Washington, D.C., 1990, Library of Congress card number 89-71109, ISBN   0-912799-62-5, p. 11.
  13. ↑ Kopp, Dr. Carlo, "The Dawn of the Smart Bomb, Technical Report APA-TR-2011-0302, Air Power Australia, 26 March 2011.
  14. ↑ Kopp, Carlo (26 March 2011). "The Dawn of the Smart Bomb". p. 1.
  15. ↑ Parsch, Andreas, "Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones, VB Series, 2003.
  16. ↑ "VB Series".
  17. ↑ "VB-3 Razon Bomb".

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.