Fritz X was the most common name for a German guided anti-ship glide bomb used during World War II. Fritz X was the world's first precision guided weapon deployed in combat and the first to sink a ship in combat. Fritz X was a nickname used both by Allied and Luftwaffe personnel. Alternative names include Ruhrstahl SD 1400 X, Kramer X-1, PC 1400X or FX 1400.
Fritz X guided bomb
American drawing of the PC 1400 armour-piercing bomb, the basis for the Fritz X PGM
Fritz X schematic
Fritz X guided bomb at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
A glide bomb or stand-off bomb is a standoff weapon with flight control surfaces to give it a flatter, gliding flight path than that of a conventional bomb without such surfaces. This allows it to be released at a distance from the target rather than right over it, allowing a successful attack without exposing the launching aircraft to anti-aircraft defenses near the target. Glide bombs can accurately deliver warheads in a manner comparable to cruise missiles at a fraction of the cost—sometimes by installing flight control kits on simple unguided bombs—and they are very difficult for surface-to-air missiles to intercept due to their tiny radar signatures and short flight times. The only effective countermeasure in most cases is to shoot down enemy aircraft before they approach within launching range, making glide bombs very potent weapons where wartime exigencies prevent this.
A German 'Fritz X' glide bomb
An F-16C releases an AGM-154 JSOW. The AGM-154 JSOW has a range of 12 nmi (22 km) for a low altitude launch, or 70 nmi (130 km) for a high altitude launch.
HOPE/HOSBO of the Luftwaffe