Mark XIV bomb sight
The Mark XIV was a bombsight developed by Royal Air Force Bomber Command during the Second World War. Developed starting in 1939, the Mark XIV began replacing the First World War–era Course Setting Bomb Sight in 1942. It was essentially an automated version of the Course Setting sight, using a mechanical computer to update the sights in real-time as conditions changed. The Mk. XIV required only 10 seconds of straight flight before the drop and automatically accounted for shallow climbs and dives.
About Mark XIV bomb sight in brief
The Mark XIV Bomb Sight was a bombsight developed by Royal Air Force Bomber Command during the Second World War. Developed starting in 1939, the Mk. XIV began replacing the First World War–era Course Setting Bomb Sight in 1942. It was essentially an automated version of the Course Setting sight, using a mechanical computer to update the sights in real-time as conditions changed. The Mk. XIV required only 10 seconds of straight flight before the drop and automatically accounted for shallow climbs and dives. Production of a slightly modified version was also undertaken in the United States as the Sperry T-1, which was interchangeable with the UK-built version. It equipped the majority of the RAF bomber fleet during the second half of the war; small numbers of the Stabilized Automatic Bomb Sight and Low Level Bombsight, Mark III were used in specialist roles. A post-war upgrade, the T-4, also known by its rainbow code Blue Devil, connected directly to the Navigation and Bombing System computers to automate the setting of wind speed and direction. These equipped the V Bomber force as well as other aircraft until their retirement from service in the 1960s. The CSBS was the first bombsight that allowed the bomber to approach the target from any direction, which offered greatly increased tactical freedom. The RAF was working on an improved CSBS in the 1930s, but development was slow and it had not been accepted for use when the war started.
The Air Ministry began extensive negotiations in an effort to develop a similar design for the US Navy, but the Norden bombsight was deemed too sensitive to risk losing over Germany. Ironically, the plans of the German military had been passed by a US-based spy military by a German spy agency in 1938. On March 28 1939, RAF Bomber Command hosted a conference to discuss the development of the CSBS. The more extensive and advanced Mk X, a more extensive improvement, was readied for service on March 28, 1939, and was in mass production by the end of the month. The sight was also known as the Blackett sight after its primary inventor, P. M. S. Blackett. It remained universal until its retirement in 1960s, when it was replaced by the more advanced Mk IX, a universal version of which remained in use until the 1970s and 1980s. In practice, the Mark XIV was theoretically less accurate than the contemporary Norden Bombsight. However, it was smaller, easier to use, faster-acting, and better suited to night bombing. It also had a gyro stabilization platform, which kept the sight pointed at the target even as the bomber manoeuvred, dramatically increasing its accuracy and ease of sighting. The low-level Bombsight was built using parts of the Mark X, stabilized in pitch rather than roll. The Low Level Bomber Sight was also developed using parts from the Mark X, stabilized in pitch rather than roll.
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This page is based on the article Mark XIV bomb sight published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 31, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
