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540, 1000 and 2000lb'ers (Paveway III). Incidentally, we had a 22,000lb bomb during WW2, imagine dropping those bad boys from a Lancaster!
M
monobrow
Guest
More gen on the "Tallboy" -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallboy_bomb
I Look Like Kevin Costner
Grand Prix fanatic..
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Barnes Wallis designed 12,000 lb "Tallboy's" and 22.000 lb "Gland Slams"
Dropped from 20,000 ft, both weapons were made of hardened steel casings and reached supersonic speed before impact.
Tails were offset to induce gyroscopic spin to improve accuarcy and stop the bomb toppling as it passed mach 1.
the "Earthquake" bombs did a lot more than just capsize the Tripitz.
They destoryed Railway tunnels, most of the V1 storage and manufactuing bunkers in Northern France, the V3 "super" cannon, many U-Boat pens, two fleets of "E" boats in Channel habours that were haressing the Invasion fleets (Tsumani Bombs!!), a few bridges, the Dortmund Ems caneal (reliving the canal of its contents) and an SS barracks near Hitlers "Eagle Nest". 617 were the major player, but 9 Sqn also were good enough to be trusted to drop these expensive weapons...
The 10 Tonner was originally designed to attack the Monhe Dam, but tests showed it needed to be dropped almost on ths dam. Thus came Upkeep and 617...
One of the tripiz raids operated from Russia, with 617 and 9 attacking the Tripiz for the first time. This was propably the last time two RAF squadrons have operated in that country....
Dropped from 20,000 ft, both weapons were made of hardened steel casings and reached supersonic speed before impact.
Tails were offset to induce gyroscopic spin to improve accuarcy and stop the bomb toppling as it passed mach 1.
the "Earthquake" bombs did a lot more than just capsize the Tripitz.
They destoryed Railway tunnels, most of the V1 storage and manufactuing bunkers in Northern France, the V3 "super" cannon, many U-Boat pens, two fleets of "E" boats in Channel habours that were haressing the Invasion fleets (Tsumani Bombs!!), a few bridges, the Dortmund Ems caneal (reliving the canal of its contents) and an SS barracks near Hitlers "Eagle Nest". 617 were the major player, but 9 Sqn also were good enough to be trusted to drop these expensive weapons...
The 10 Tonner was originally designed to attack the Monhe Dam, but tests showed it needed to be dropped almost on ths dam. Thus came Upkeep and 617...
One of the tripiz raids operated from Russia, with 617 and 9 attacking the Tripiz for the first time. This was propably the last time two RAF squadrons have operated in that country....
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Off Topic And without the ‘super’ bombsight which 617 Sqn had. Tallboy was also used as a Dambusting weapon by both 9 and 617 Sqn's in October 1944. 617 did a low level attack on the Sluice gates of the Kembs Dam using Tallboy’s. The bombs blew the gates open and let most of the water out. A week later 9 Sqn attacked the Sorpe dam. A number of Tallboys hit the dam, including a direct hit on the dead centre of it, however due to its construction, the dam survived the attack, for the same reasons it survived the two Upkeep bombs dropped on it during the Dams Raid.
There was also a Guided version of the Tallboy used by the Spams. Designated the VB-13, it was known as a TARZON bomb (TAllboy Range and aZimuth ONly). The weapon was the front end of the British weapon fitted with a curricular wing and a new tail assembly fitted with a tracking flare, radio guidance system and steering fins. Development started in 1946 and it was dropped by modified B-29s on targets in North Korea (the bomb aimer tracked the flare at the rear of the weapon, and using a radio control link steered the bomb on to the target). Due to safety problems that resulted in the loss of one of the B-29’s, the weapon was withdrawn from service after about a year in service.Off Topic
Gen, I do believe, comes from the term ‘General Information’ and its more likely that the film name was changed to reflect the fact that most people had heard the slang used by somebody in the RAF at one time or another.
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G
gemarriott
Guest
The MOAB was 21000 but all smaller than Grand Slam which of course makes RAFARMOURERS the daddies
DT_Xtremez_30:The MOAB was 21000 but all smaller than Grand Slam which of course makes RAFARMOURERS the daddies
Hate to say this GEM, but the Spams have got us beat on this one, I just had a quick google, and found out about some other big 'Earthquake' bombs.
The biggest 'Earthquake' bomb ever dropped was the US T-12 which was a development of their Bomb, GP, 22,000-lb, M110 (T-14), the US built Grand Slam (both the Tallboy and Grand Slam designs were given to the US, seeing that they had the production facilities available to build them in large quantities). The T-12 came in at a wopping 43,600 lb, almost twice the weight of the Grand Slam and could only be carried by a modified B-29 or standard B-36 which could carry two of them!!!!! Details Here and Here
Spams are working on a 30,000 lbs monster called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. Looks like if that enters service, there is a good chance that the Grand Slam will lose the record for heaviest conventional bomb used in combat, a record it has held for over 60 years.
Finally some good video of the big British 'Earthquake' bomb. Big fooking crater or what!
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