Ab 250 and 500 bombing

[dduff442]

Assuming it's correct that the SC2000 was a demolition bomb, the HE content may have been quite small as a thick steel penetrator would constitute most of the weight. AB bomblets require a direct hit to have any effect, which can lead to wierd results if the dispersal is too great.

For those with the patience (I usually take a guess myself), the burst altitude can be calculated as follows:

B = D - (u*t + .5*g*t^2)

...where B is the burst alt, D the release alt, u the vertical speed (in metres per sec) at the time of release, g=9.81 m/s acceleration due to gravity and t is the fuze setting in seconds.

Taking KG26 Alpha's example:

D = 1200m
u = 480mph = 768kph = 213 m/s
t = 5

=> B = 1200 - (213*5 + 0.5*9.81*5*5) = 12m

For an a/c in level flight u=0, so an AB dropped from 750m with a 3 sec fuse will burst at:

B = 750 - (0 + 0.5*9.81*3*3) = 706m

Remember folks, no matter what it is there's always a way of making it less fun!

dduff