VB-6 Felix
The VB-6 Felix was a precision-guided munition developed by the United States during World War II. It used an infrared seeker to attack targets like blast furnaces or the metal roofs of large factories. The war ended before it could be used operationally.
VB-6 Felix
United States Air Force · Public domain
- Name
- VB-6 Felix
- Field
- guided bomb · anti-ship weapon
- Region
- United States
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wikidata · Q7906578 · wikipedia · VB-6 Felix
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — VB-6 Felix • Origin — United States • Type — anti-ship missile / guided bomb • Is Explosive — yes • Is Missile — yes • Service — never used operationally • Wars — World War II • Designer — National Defense Research Committee • Production Date — 1945 • Weight — 1202 lb (545 kg) • Length — 91.2 in (231.6 cm) • Diameter — 18.6 in (47.2 cm) • Filling — amatol explosive • Filling Weight — 1000 pounds (454 kg) • Engine — none • Payload Capacity — 1000 pounds (454 kg) • Guidance — Infrared homing
History
History
Created by the National Defense Research Committee, Felix relied on infrared to detect and home on heat-emitting targets in clear weather; blast furnaces were considered a particularly practical target for such a weapon, as were the reflective metal roofs of factory buildings. It was this property which earned the weapon its name, after the ability of cats to see in the dark; Felix the Cat was an extremely popular cartoon character at the time. Felix was a 1000-pound (454 kg) general purpose (GP) bomb with an infrared seeker in the nose and octagonal guidance fins in the tail. Unlike other weapons, such as the German Fritz X, Felix was autonomous once launched, although there was a flare in the tail for tracking. In tests, Felix demonstrated a circular error probable of 85 ft. Successful trials led to Felix being put in production in 1945, but the Pacific War ended before it entered combat.
Dove
Dove
• Illustration — Remnant of a Dove bomb excavated at the former Camp Wellfleet in the late 1990s, where a bombing practice target was located in the 1940s. A naval version of the Felix, the ASM-N-4 Dove, was approved in 1944; in 1946 the project was transferred to Eastman Kodak, and in 1949 a contract for 20 prototype weapons was issued. Dove's infrared seeker was expected to be capable of correcting 400 m aiming errors; trials took place through 1952, but no production was undertaken.
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
Weapons of comparable role, performance and era
• Bomb MK 57 Bat (U.S. Navy radar-guided glide bomb) • PC 1400 X (Fritz X) • LBD Gargoyle • Azon • GB-4 • GB-6 • Bat • Mitsubishi Ki-147 (I-Gо̄ Model 1 Kо̄) • Kawasaki Ki-148 (I-Gо̄ Model 1 Otsu) • Ke-Go • Nikitin PSN-1 • Nikitin PSN-2 • SNAB-3000 *
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- United States
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Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article VB-6 Felix, revision 1371548206 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Ordway and Wakeford 1960, p.124.
- 2.VB-6 Felix Guided Bomb. National Museum of the United States Air Force. 8 June 2015.
- 3.Gunston 1988, p.30.
- 4.Parsch 2003a
- 5.Final Former Camp Wellfleet Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis. Prepared by Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation, May 2000, for U.S Army Engineering and Support Center, Huntsville, Alabama.
- 6.Parsch 2003b
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Broader subject
1- guided bombTerminology
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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