I was a loader back in the Seventies, and the first time I saw one of those, I was amused...they looked like they were straight out of the Fifties, with those funny fins and streamlined aluminum shape, they just looked like art deco missiles!
They could put them on an A7, and we saw a film of the delivery method where the plane would pull up into a steep climb, and at some point on the upswing, the plane would release the bomb, and then roll onto its back, finally diving to get up speed and get out of the way.
It is a weird way to ‘loft’ a bomb, but apparently they could obtain reasonable accuracy even though it looked there was no way that was possible.
I verify your account.
A Vietnam War pilot showed us the hairy nuke drop maneuver he had to practice flying his A-6 if need be.
Needless to say he had concerns that he and his co-pilot might not survive the blast after delivery.
RE: “They could put them on an A7, and we saw a film of the delivery method where the plane would pull up into a steep climb, and at some point on the upswing, the plane would release the bomb, and then roll onto its back, finally diving to get up speed and get out of the way.
It is a weird way to ‘loft’ a bomb, but apparently they could obtain reasonable accuracy even though it looked there was no way that was possible.”
I was a builder back in the Seventies; at Naval Avionics Center, Indianapolis.
We engineered the things.
The 'tronics were contained in a ring of modules (about 11 of them if Ircc) a few transistors and other components in each one.
It was about as complicated as a Pong® game.
I remember seeing the IR spectrum model being tested in a small lab overlooking the parking lot. Opening the window and viewing the lot after cars had left for the evening, you could see where they had been parked due to the cooler pavement under them.
You could also tell which ladies were wearing pantyhose as they left the building by the different heat signature coming from their fanny area!