Editing Dive bomber (section)

==Decline==
[[File:Navy AD-3 dive bomber pulls out of dive after dropping a 2000 pound bomb on Korean side of a bridge crossing the Yalu... - NARA - 520776.tif|thumb|US Navy [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider|AD-3]] pulls out of dive after dropping a {{convert|2000|lb|kg|adj=on}} bomb on the Korean side of a bridge crossing the [[Yalu River]] at [[Sinuiju]], 15 November 1950.]]

When the RAF were attempting to stop the [[Panzer]]s of [[Erwin Rommel]]'s [[Afrika Korps]] in early 1942, a lack of dive bombers proved to be an impediment. However, the British Government's Chief Scientist, [[Henry Tizard]], formed a panel of experts, which recommended using rockets. A rocket has a much flatter trajectory than a bomb, allowing it to be launched with reasonable accuracy from a shallow dive, and could be fitted on existing aircraft. The RAF used them on Hurricanes in June 1942 against Rommel's tanks. The British Army had used rockets against low-flying bombers during the Battle of Britain by enlarging the tube from {{Convert|2|in}} to {{Convert|3|in}} and fitting high explosive warheads; it became an anti-tank weapon.<ref>The Aeroplane: Monthly. London July 1995</ref> The more powerful [[Hawker Typhoon]], originally developed as a fighter, proved even more effective, carrying eight [[RP-3]] {{convert|60|lb|abbr=on}} rockets and producing a similar effect to a naval destroyer's broadside.<ref>Thomas, Chris. ''Typhoon Wings of 2nd TAF 1943–45''. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2010. {{ISBN|978-1-84603-973-7}}.</ref>

On 23 May 1943, a [[Fairey Swordfish]] destroyed [[German submarine U-752|''U-752'']] in the Atlantic, and five days later, a [[Lockheed Hudson]] of [[RAF Coastal Command]] sank [[German submarine U-755|''U-755'']] in the Mediterranean, using [[RP-3|specialised rockets]] fitted with iron spikes which were fired at a shallow angle into the sea. Once under water, they curved upwards and punctured the pressure hull below the waterline, disabling or sinking the submarine.<ref>Pawke, Gerald: The Wheezers and Dodgers, Seaforth Publishing, London, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-84832-026-0}}</ref>

[[Caltech]] developed the {{Convert|5|in|adj=on}} [[High Velocity Aircraft Rocket]] (HVAR) with a {{Convert|24|lb|adj=on}} warhead for the US Navy. It was rushed to Europe for use on [[D-Day]] and later used by Navy aircraft in the Pacific.<ref>Parsch, Andreas. US Air launched 5-inch rockets 2006.</ref> By January 1943, American pilots who had been flying in RAF [[Eagle Squadron]]s before the US entered the war, converted from [[Supermarine Spitfire]]s to [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]]s to form the USAAF 4th Air Fighter Group. At over {{Convert|4|LT}} unladen, one of the biggest single engine fighter bombers of the war, it could carry ten {{Convert|5|in|adj=on}} HVARs.<ref>O'Leary, Michael USAAF fighters of World War Two:1986. Blandford Press England {{ISBN|0-7137-1839-0}}</ref>

By late 1944, the RAF was able to hit stationary targets with greater accuracy from greater heights inflicting far more damage with less risk. On 12 November 1944, two {{Convert|5|LT|adj=on}} [[Tallboy bomb|Tallboy]] bombs were dropped by [[Avro Lancaster]]s from {{Convert|25000|ft}} and hit the German battleship [[German battleship Tirpitz|''Tirpitz'']] at supersonic speeds, sinking it. The Tallboy was developed by [[Vickers]] designer [[Barnes Wallis]] who followed it up with the even larger {{Convert|10|LT|adj=on}} [[Grand Slam (bomb)|Grand Slam]] earthquake bomb which was used to destroy [[railway viaduct]]s and bridges, targets that could previously only be damaged in diving attacks. Wallis also designed a bomb that bounced across water to destroy the Eder and Moehne dams, which needed to be hit repeatedly at the same spot under water to be breached but had nets to protect against torpedoes.<ref>Holland, James. Dam Busters Bantam Press, 2012 {{ISBN|978-0-552-16341-5}}</ref>

Pilots in the Pacific later developed a technique of [[skip bombing]] which required flying at low level and dropping a spherically nosed conventional bomb onto the sea, at a shallow angle, which then bounced back into the air.

Although new aircraft could still dive towards their targets, they were no longer optimised for steep diving attacks. Through the pioneering efforts by the Luftwaffe's [[Fritz X]] and the [[United States Army Air Force|USAAF]]'s [[Azon]], controlled-trajectory bombs evolved into today's [[Precision-guided munition|smart bombs]]. A bomb can be dropped far from a target's air defences using a guidance system to hit the target, ensuring greater accuracy and minimising risk to the crew.

[[Jet engine]]s allowed higher speeds which made "[[toss bombing]]" possible, a reverse dive bombing method where an aircraft snaps up from low altitude as a bomb is released, throwing it upwards like a [[shot put]].