Fritz X - Wikipedia

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2024-09-20 15:30:04

Fritz X was a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Fritz X was the world's first precision guided weapon deployed in combat[ 1] and the first to sink a ship in combat. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternative names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400 (the latter, along with the unguided PC 1400 Fritz nickname, is the origin for the name "Fritz X").

Fritz X was a further development of the PC 1400 (Panzersprengbombe, Cylindrisch 1,400 kg)[ Note 1] armour-piercing high-explosive bomb, itself bearing the nickname Fritz. It was a penetration weapon intended to be used against armoured targets such as heavy cruisers and battleships. It was given a more aerodynamic nose, four stub wings, and a box-shaped tail unit consisting of a roughly 12-sided annular set of fixed surfaces and a cruciform tail with thick surfaces within the annulus, which contained the Fritz X' s aerodynamic controls.

The Luftwaffe recognised the difficulty of hitting moving ships during the Spanish Civil War.[ 2] German engineer Max Kramer, who worked at the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt (DVL), had been experimenting since 1938 with remote-controlled free-falling 250 kg (550 lb) bombs and in 1939 fitted radio-controlled spoilers.[ 3] In 1940, Ruhrstahl AG [de] was invited to join the development, since they already had experience in the development and production of unguided bombs.[ 4]