PC 1400 X (1,400 kg)
Contents
Description
The 1,400 kg PC 1400 X, or Fritz X is a German manually-guided anti-ship glide bomb. It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
The Fritz-X is a guided armour-piercing gliding bomb weighing circa 1.5 tons, with an explosive payload of 320 kg. It was equipped with a stabilizer and fins as well as a set of radio equipment. The bomb trajectory could be tracked visually from the launching bomber through the bomb sight (bright tracing lights lit up in the tail section of the bomb after launch) and corrected by radio signal using a special joystick. It was mainly used as an anti-ship weapon.
| Bomb characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Guidance | MCLOS |
| Mass | 1,570 kg |
| Explosive mass | 320 kg |
| Explosive type | Amatol |
| TNT equivalent | 320 kg |
| HE max penetration | 98 mm |
| Armour destruction radius | 14 m |
| Fragment dispersion radius | 100 m |
Effective damage
The PC 1400 X,, with its 320kg (705 lbs) payload, can absolutely demolish any targets one may face. Additionally, the massive 14m armour destruction radius can and will vaporize every tank on a capture point in Ground Realistic Battles, and the 100m fragment dispersion radius can kill light tanks and open tops far beyond.
Comparison with analogues
While there are no bombs with the same or even similar explosive mass as the Fritz X, there are still comparisons to be made. First, one must point out that this is the lowest BR guided bomb in War Thunder, which automatically puts it far above the competition even without the fantastic explosive payload it carries. The only other major competition is unguided weapons used by the Americans, at this tier the most common being the 100-500lbs variants, which it outpaces easily with 160kg (350lbs) more TNT equivalent.
Usage in battles
While in real life it was mainly used for anti-ship purposes, the Fritz X's use in War Thunder is not so limited. Its main use in the game is in Ground Battles, where it can easily take out individual tanks and even whole groups of them on caps. The only downside to this method is that the planes carrying the PC 1400 X are big and slow heavy bombers. This gives AA and planes a very large target to hit and shoot down. Because of this, it is very possible for one to not even make it to the battlefield, let alone a second pass.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Bomb can be guided into the target
- Good for high altitude bombing cruisers and large slow-moving targets
- Very effective against capital ships as it can be used from outside of their anti-aircraft range
Cons:
- Relatively small warhead (compared to a normal 500 kg bomb)
- All the planes that carry it can be easily shot down
- Only one can be carried at a time
History
The PC 1400 X was nicknamed "Fritz X", becoming the first precision guided munition used in combat. The Fritz X entered active service on 21 July 1943 against targets in a Sicilian harbour, but without any confirmed kill. The biggest success of the weapon was sinking of the Littorio-class battleship Roma on 8 September 1943 by scoring 2 direct hits and causing magazine explosion. The bomb used MCLOS guiding (Manual Command to Line Of Sight) via radio link. Approximately 1,400 were built.
Media
- Vieos
See also
Other WWII guided weapons:
External links
| Armour-piercing bombs | |
|---|---|
| USA | |
| 1,000 lb | A.P. AN-MK 33 |
| 1,600 lb | AN-Mk 1 |
| Germany | |
| 10 kg | SD10C |
| 50 kg | SD50 |
| 70 kg | SD70 |
| 500 kg | PC500 |
| 1,000 kg | PC1000 |
| 1,045 kg | HS 293 A-1* |
| 1,400 kg | PC 1400 X* |
| 1,600 kg | PC1600 |
| USSR | |
| 220 kg | BRAB-220 (1930) |
| 250 kg | BRAB-250 |
| 500 kg | BRAB-500 (1938) · BRAB-500 |
| 1,000 kg | BRAB-1000 (1938) · BRAB-1000 |
| Britain | |
| 500 lb | S.A.P. Mk.II |
| 2,000 lb | A.P. Mk.I |
| Japan | |
| 500 kg | Number Type 2 50 Model 1 GP(SAP) |
| 800 kg | Navy Type 99 Number 80 AP |
| 1,500 kg | Navy Type 3 Number 150 AP |
| Italy | |
| 160 kg | A.P 160 |
| 630 kg | 630 P.D. |
| * Guided bomb | |
| See also | List of high-explosive, unguided, free-falling bombs · List of guided bombs · List of retarded bombs |
