| VB-6 Felix | |
|---|---|
 VB-6 Felix at theNational Museum of the USAF | |
| Type | anti-ship missile /guided bomb |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | never used operationally |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designer | National Defense Research Committee |
| Produced | 1945 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1202 lb (545 kg) |
| Length | 91.2 in (231.6 cm) |
| Diameter | 18.6 in (47.2 cm) |
| Warhead | amatol explosive |
| Warhead weight | 1000 pounds (454 kg) |
| Engine | none |
Guidance system | Infrared homing |
TheVB-6 Felix was aprecision-guided munition developed by the United States duringWorld War II. It used aninfrared seeker to attack targets likeblast furnaces or the metal roofs of large factories. The war ended before it could be used operationally.
Created by theNational Defense Research Committee, Felix relied oninfrared to detect and home on heat-emitting targets in clear weather;[1]blast furnaces were considered a particularly practical target for such a weapon, as were the reflective metal roofs of factory buildings.[2] It was this property which earned the weapon its name, after the ability ofcats 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 theGermanFritz X, Felix wasautonomous once launched, although there was aflare in the tail for tracking. In tests, Felix demonstrated acircular error probable of 85 feet (26 m).[3]
Successful trials led to Felix being put in production in 1945, but thePacific War ended before it entered combat.[4]
A naval version of the Felix, theASM-N-4 Dove, was approved in 1944; in 1946 the project was transferred toEastman Kodak, and in 1949 a contract for 20 prototype weapons was issued. Dove's infrared seeker was expected to be capable of correcting 400-metre (1,300 ft) aiming errors; trials took place through 1952, but no production was undertaken.[6]
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