GB-4

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

GB-4
Type	anti-ship missile / guided bomb
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	Never used operationally
Wars	World War II
Specifications
Weight	2535 lbs (1150 kg)
Length	12 ft 2 in (3.71 m)
length	12 ft (3.66 m) wingspan
Diameter	24 in (0.61 m)

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 success 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 pound (900 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 miles per hour (280 kph) and 15,000 feet (4575 m) altitude, giving a range of 17 miles (27 km), with an average flight time of four minutes. Its accuracy was 200 feet (60 m).

The Pacific War ended before it entered combat.