dark light

Navy SWOD Mk 9 "Bat" Glide Bomb (1945)‏

Check out this article at RetroMechanix.com on a USAAF evaluation of the Navy “Special Weapons Ordnance Device” (SWOD) Mark 9 “Bat” radar-guided glide bomb dating from 1945:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7090/7185767780_66f6de40ff_o.jpg

The Bat was one of the world’s earliest fully-automatic, target-seeking “smart” weapon systems. In 1945, the Air Force sent a liaison officer to observe the employment of this radar-guided glide bomb by Navy PB4Y-2 Privateer squadrons against Japanese ships. The article reproduces the entire report, along with 10 photos of the Bat and its associated equipment.

-Jared

No replies yet.
Sign in to post a reply