Taylorcraft LBT
A cancelled World War II glider bomb by Taylorcraft.
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The Taylorcraft LBT was a glider bomb developed for the United States Navy during World War II. It was one of three prototype 'Glomb' designs ordered by the Navy, intended to deliver a bomb load to enemy targets without risking aircrew. The LBT suffered from technical and performance difficulties and was cancelled early in production, with none of the aircraft seeing operational service.
Background
The LBT was designed in response to a United States Navy requirement for a glide bomb, part of the 'Glomb' concept studied from December 1940. The Navy envisioned an inexpensive, unpowered aircraft remotely controlled from another aircraft, guided by a TV camera in the nose transmitting to an operator in a control plane.
Taylorcraft's design was based on its LNT-1 training glider; two XLNT-1s had been converted for remote control in earlier trials. The LBT-1 featured a high, strut-braced wing and tricycle landing gear, and carried a 2000 lb bomb as a warhead. It retained a cockpit for a pilot on training and evaluation flights.
Evaluation by the Navy began in April 1944. The contract called for production of 100 of each Glomb type, but by October 1944 trials indicated the glider bomb's low expected performance was a liability. The Piper LBP-1 and LBE-1 were considered superior, and the LBT contract was cancelled. Only 25 examples were constructed, none seeing operational service.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Taylorcraft LBT (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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