[ARC5] WWII Homing Missiles

[jmfranke]

There is or at least was some time ago a bat on display at the NIST, former 
NBS, museum, see: http://museum.nist.gov/panels/batmissile/index.html

John WA4WDL

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Robert  Eleazer" <releazer at earthlink.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 08, 2012 10:16 PM
To: <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [ARC5] WWII Homing Missiles

> There were only three true homing missiles used in WWII.
>
> The US. Navy was the first to use a homing missile in combat, with its 
> acoustic homing torpedo.  It was air launched, homed in on U-boats and had 
> a high success rate.
>
> The most sophisticated homing missile of WWII was the USN's Bat, which was 
> a true fire-and-forget radar guided weapon launched from PB4Y-2's of 
> VPB-109 late in the war.  I did some research on it at the Smithsonian, 
> went out to the USN China Lake facility where I photographed one that is 
> on display.
>
> The Germans had an acoustic homing torpedo that was designed to enable 
> U-boats to attack escort vessels but it was not as successful as the 
> USN's.
>
> The Germans, the USAAF and the USN had air to surface missiles but they 
> did not home on the target but employed an operator in an aircraft to 
> guide the missile.  Some of the missiles were modified B-17's and B-24's. 
> The USN's modified B-24's used a more sophisticated approach, TV guidance.
>
> Wayne
>
>
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