22,000-pound G.P. T14

Over-all length, feet

Body length, feet

Body diameter, feet

Wall thickness, inches

Tail length, feet

Tail width, feet

Tail weight, pounds

Filling

Weight of filling

Total weight (w/o tail)

Chg./wt. Ratio

42%

Fuzing: Three British Tail Pistols No. 58 Mk I are used at present, but these will even-tually be replaced with the Air-Arming Fuzes T723, places in a straight line across the base plate.

Body construction: The body is manufactured in two different ways. The British-pro-duced model is of cast steel, with a solid nose plug and with three exploders fitted 120° apart in the tail. The bomb bodies are issued with exploders inserted, and the exploder tubes are sealed with shipping plugs. The eventual American T14 will consists of five sections welded together. These sections are a solid nose forging, two body forgings, a rolled plate body section, and a base ring forging. The base plate, which is a forging, is held to the base ring by means of 20 studs.

The tail is attached to the after end of the bomb body by 12 studs. A cylindrical me-tal cowling, placed between the bomb body and the tail cone, enhances the streamlining of the bomb.

Tail construction: The special Tail Unit, No. 82 Mk I is constructed of light alloy and consists of a cone to which are attached four fins of streamline cross-section. The fins are set at an angle of 5° to the axis of the tail cone, giving a right-hand spin to the bombs as it falls. The tail fits over twelve 7/16-inch studs fitted into the bomb body, and is securely fastened to the studs by Sommonds nuts. Three hand-holes in the tail cone give ready access to the three tail pistols, and an additional hole is provided for arming wires.

Suspension: The bomb is suspended in the plane by twin suspensions slings.

Filling: The bomb body contains an explosive filling of Torpex with a one-inch layer of TNT topping added to the after end. Four inches of woodmeal/wax composition is then added, and the filling sealed with a ½-inch plyboard washer. The three exploders pass through holes in this washer and are held in place by a heavy base plate, which is secu-red by bolts to the bomb body. The American bomb will be filled with Tritonal, with an inert tail surround.

Remarks: This bomb is designed for limited operational use, and its employment will be restricted to specially adapted very heavy bombers. Although designated a G.P. bomb, the T14 is essentially a deep-penetration bomb (though not armor- or concrete-piercing) depending for its effect upon the production of heavy shock waves as a result of the explosion of its main charge deep within the earth.

The general arrangement of this bomb is identical to that of the 12,000-pound Bomb T40. The two bombs are identical, except that the T14 has three in-line fuze pockets in-stead of pockets placed 120° apart as in the T10, and the T14 is an enlarged version of the T10.

The T14 is American designation for the British 22,000-pound D.P. "Grand Slam" bomb.

Figure 296. 12,000-pound Bomb T10 "Tallboy"
and 22,000-pound Bomb T14 "Grand Slam"