Navy SWOD Mk 9 "Bat" Glide Bomb (1945)
Sat May 12, 2012 11:16 pm
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:
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
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