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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.
History
[
edit
]
Created by the
National Defense Research Committee
, Felix relied on
infrared
to detect and home on heat-emitting targets in clear weather;
[1]
blast furnaces
were considered a particularly practical target for such a weapon, as were the reflective metal roofs of factory buildings.
[2]
It was this property which earned the weapon its name, after the ability of
cats
to see in the dark;
Felix the Cat
was an extremely popular cartoon character at the time.
Felix was a 1000-pound (454 kg)
general purpose
(GP) bomb with an infrared seeker in the nose and octagonal guidance fins in the tail. Unlike other weapons, such as the
German
Fritz X
, Felix was
autonomous
once launched, although there was a
flare
in the tail for tracking. In tests, Felix demonstrated a
circular error probable
of 85 feet (26 m).
[3]
Successful trials led to Felix being put in production in 1945, but the
Pacific War
ended before it entered combat.
[4]
Dove
[
edit
]
A naval version of the Felix, the
ASM-N-4 Dove
, was approved in 1944; in 1946 the project was transferred to
Eastman Kodak
, and in 1949 a contract for 20 prototype weapons was issued. Dove's infrared seeker was expected to be capable of correcting 400-metre (1,300 ft) aiming errors; trials took place through 1952, but no production was undertaken.
[5]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Citations
- ^
Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.124.
- ^
"VB-6 Felix Guided Bomb"
.
National Museum of the United States Air Force
. 8 June 2015
. Retrieved
2017-12-07
.
- ^
Gunston 1988, p.30.
- ^
Parsch 2003a
- ^
Parsch 2003b
- ^
Final Former Camp Wellfleet Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis
. Prepared by Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation, May 2000, for U.S Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
- Bibliography
- Gunston, Bill
(1988).
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Armament
. New York: Orion Books.
ISBN
0-517-56607-9
.
- Parsch, Andreas (9 February 2003).
"VB Series (VB-1 through VB-13)"
.
Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones
. Designation-Systems
. Retrieved
2017-12-07
.
- Parsch, Andreas (22 January 2003).
"Eastman Kodak ASM-N-4 Dove"
.
Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Appendix 1: Early Missiles and Drones
. Designation-Systems
. Retrieved
2017-12-07
.
- Ordway, Frederick Ira; Ronald C. Wakeford (1960).
International Missile and Spacecraft Guide
. New York: McGraw-Hill.
ASIN
B000MAEGVC
.
External links
[
edit
]
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