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GB-4
| colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | GB-4 | |
|---|---|
| Type | anti-ship missile / guided bomb |
| Place of origin | United States |
| colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | Service history | |
| In service | never used operationally |
| Wars | World War II |
| colspan="2" Template:WPMILHIST Infobox style | Specifications | |
| Weight | 2535 lb (1150 kg) |
| Length | 12 ft 2 in (3.71 m) |
| length | 12 ft (3.66 m) wingspan |
| Diameter | 24 in (61 cm) |
| Warhead | amatol explosive |
| Warhead weight | 2000 pounds (907 kg) |
| Engine | none |
| Operational range |
17 mi (27 km) |
| Guidance system |
television and radio command |
GB-4 was a precision guided munition developed by the United States during World War Two. It was one of the precursors of modern anti-ship missiles.
Following German succcess with the Hs-293 and Fritz-X, the U.S. began developing several similar weapons, such as Felix, Bat, Gargoyle, GB-8, and GB-4.
GB-4's development began in 1944 as clear weather, good visibility weapon to attack heavily-defended targets; it was only useful against objectives readily identifiable on the crude CRT screens of the period. It featured a plywood airframe with twin booms and fins with a single elevator. The warhead was a 2000 pd (907 kg) general purpose (GP) bomb.
The target was acquired by a television camera beneath the warhead, with a field of view 18° high and 14° wide, and the bomb was steered by radio command guidance, the operator tracking it by means of flares in the tail. It was intended to be carried externally, under the wing of a B-17 or B-25. Release was at about 175 mph (280 kph) and 15000 ft (4575 m) altitude, giving a range of 17 mi (27 km), with an average flight time of four minutes. Its accuracy was 200 ft (60 m).
The Pacific War ended before it entered combat.
Sources
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, editor. "GB-4", in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare. Volume 10, p.1101. London: Phoebus Publishing, 1978.
See also
External links
- Allied & German guided weapons of WW2
- The Dawn of the Smart Bomb
- Guided weapons of WW2
- GB series weapons
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| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "GB-4". |
