A bombardier (French for "bomberman"), in the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force, or a bomb aimer, in the Royal Air Force and other Commonwealth air forces, was the crewman of a bomber responsible for assisting the navigator in guiding the plane to a bombing target and releasing the aircraft's bomb load. In many planes the bombardier took control of the airplane during the bombing run, using a bombsight such as the Norden bombsight which was connected to the autopilot of the plane. Often stationed in the extreme front of the aircraft, on the way to the target and after releasing the bombs he could also serve as the front gunner in aircraft that had a front turret. In the latter part of the 20th century, the title of bombardier fell into disuse, due largely to changes in technology, emanating from the replacement of this manual function with the development of computerized technology and smart bombs, that has given rise to terms like weapons systems officer or combat systems officer (CSO) to describe the modern role.
In the United States, the position of bombardier was originally held by a sergeant but they were commissioned as officers in 1941.[1][2] In the Commonwealth, one could be an officer or (more frequently) a senior non-commissioned officer. During World War II, US Army Air Force bombardiers were recognized with the award of the Bombardier Badge.