Low level detonations and Tumbling bombs

[PanzerIV]

I was testing how low I could detonate 50kg bombs in a ju88, I started at 500 feet and it successful blew, lowered to 400, another success, down to 300, success, then I went to 200, first time no boom, so I thought I little.
I decided to dive to 50ft then nose up and drop at 200ft, when I did I looked back and noticed the bomb was tumbling!
Very strange, anyone else encounter this?

[PanzerIV]

I made a film attempting to duplicate the tumbling bomb, i got bombs to detonate below 100 feet but no tumbling bombs.
http://upload2.net/page/download/qvDK57AIT5vLzt0/film2.ahf.html
thats a link to download the film.
but no tumbling bombs so who cares.

[PanzerIV]

http://upload2.net/page/download/JAg0RUlQj9QNT7s/film3.ahf.html
Film of me detonating a 1800kg well below 300ft, although not in an accurate way.

[Simaril]

Panzer --

Those who know the software better will no doubt be along shortly, but I think you're missing something by looking at the ALT you drop the bombs at.

I've always understood that the critical factor in getting your bombs to arm was the DISTANCE they travelled. So, at a given low alt, if you're travelling faster the bomb will arm sooner at a lower alt than if you're travelling slower, at least in the horizontal plane. It seems to me that bomb flight is treated with the same physics rules as aircraft, so they have velocity calculation in all three axes, with gravity and inertia applied as well.

For example, I've successfully used Jabos at high speed/low alt to "glide bomb" ordnance into tanks hiding under the tree cover. That tactic would work if they arm not based on alt, but on how far they've travelled in the air before hitting.


(Of  course, with a pure vertical dive bomb attack the alt IS the distance travelled, but it doesnt appear that's what you're talking about.)

[Patches1]

I think bombs must travel at least 500 linear feet before they arm. I could be wrong...my memory isn't so good.

[hitech]

It is distance based not alt.

HiTech

[SlapShot]

Originally posted by hitech
It is distance based not alt.

HiTech

It's 800 ft if I remember correctly.

I have "thrown" bombs in an F6F at about 50-100 ft AGL and they have detonated.

[PanzerIV]

yeah, I meant if you threw them they would go at a less steep curve to the ground and travel farther even at such low altitudes.
I knew it the bombs weren't activated by the altitude you fly, that would be stupid.
anyway I was ready Fw190 jabo stories from real life pilots and the SC250 bomb had a 1 second delay fuse, so even if dropped from say 30ft at about 300mph it would detonate, the pilot said this when he was describing his bomb landing beneath the tank after it bounced or something like that.