GENERAL DESCRIPTION. The PC 1400 FX is a radio controlled glider bomb designed for attack against capital ships or similar targets. The complete missile consists of three dis-tinct units the H.E. armour piercing warhead, the control unit housing, and the tail as-sembly. There are four aluminum alloy fins secured to the missile at approximately the center of gravity. The purpose of these fins is to give the bomb sufficient lift so that the control surfaces in the tail unit can exercise adequate influence.

Warhead. The warhed is an ordinary PC 1400 kg bomb to which the four above mentioned fins have been attached. It has one transverse fuze pocket located aft the H-type sus-pension lug. Two horizontal exploder tubes are centered in the warhead to insure high order detonation on impact. (See fig. 192.) The usual filling for the warhead is 50/50 amatol.

Fuzing. The type fuzing generally used has the El.A.Z. 38B electrical impact fuze set to operate with a very short delay. The fuze is sometimes fitted with an extension cap. Al-ternative fuzes which have been found in the missile are the El.A.Z. 28A and the El.A.Z. 35. The wiring diagrams and the operation of each of this fuzes can be found in the bomb fuze section.

Control Unit Housing. The control unit housing, made of cast magnesium alloy, is atta-ched between the base of the H.E. warhead and the tail unit. This space contains the gyroscopes, radio receiver, power source, and a small demolition charge for destruction of the control unit.

There are two gyroscopes mounted 90° to each other in the after section of the control unit. These two gyros control the stabilizing flaps on two of the tail surface.

The directional apparatus consits of the radio receiver and the servo motors which take the impulses from the radio. The power source is a 24-volt battery. This equipment ope-rates four control surfaces measuring 8 cm by 1 1/2 cm, which are located on the trailing edge of each of the four fins. These control surfaces are actuated in pairs; two of them control the lateral direction of the bomb, and the other two, its trajectory.

The demolition charge consists of approximately 1 1/2 pounds of penthrite wax. It is fu-zed usually with the VZ 80 "all-ways action" fuze. The main purpose of this charge is to destroy the directional equipment in case the fuze for the main charge in the warhead fails to function.

Tail Unit. The tail unit consists of an inner cast magnesium alloy tail cone fitted with two lonf and two short case magnesium alloy struts.

OPERATION. Bombing with the PC 1400 FX is carried out in conjunction with the Lot fe 7D bomb sight. The only extra duty of the operator being to switch on the gyroscope of the bomb some 2 minutes before the moment of release. The aim of the bombardier is ta-ken the same way as in ordinary bombing. As the bomb is released, the aircraft is throt-teld back and put into a climb with the flaps down. This action is to insure not over-shooting the missile. Once the requisite reduction is speed has been effected, the pilot flattens out. At this time, corrections in the course of the missile can be taken is neces-sary. At the moment of release, the bombardier starts a stop-watch going. The bomb cannot be controlled during the first 15 seconds after release. On the 16th second, the operator takes control of the missile. It has been estimated that the missile can be gui-ded with a margin of error of only 50 meters from an altitude of 7,000 meter.

The bomb takes 42 seconds to reach the ground from 7,000 meters, and 39 seconds from 6,000 meters. The lowest possible height for satisfactory release is 4,000 meters. At the moment of impact, the bomb, dropped from 7,000 meters, is said to have a velo-city pf 270 meters per second.

Figure 192 – 1400 FX