Cooper bombs

20 lb (9 kg) Cooper bomb.

The Cooper bomb was a British 20 pound bomb used extensively in World War I, it was the first high explosive bomb to be adapted by the Royal Flying Corps.[1]

Design

Bristol F.2 Fighter with 8 Cooper bombs under the wings.

The bomb was 24 lb (11 kg) in weight, of which 20 lb (9 kg) was the bomb casing and 4 lb (1.8 kg) was an explosive charge of Amatol.[2] The main body, being 5⁄16 inch (8 mm) thick, was made of cast iron, steel or semisteel[3] and the after body is made of wood and the fins sheet steel.[4]

List of aircraft that used the Cooper bomb

• Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5
• Bristol F.2 Fighter
• Airco DH.4[3]
• Sopwith Camel
• Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2

References

1. "cooper bomb". world military collectables.
2. "How much weighed (really) a Cooper bomb?". www.theaerodrome.com. Retrieved 2017-03-11.
3. Department, United States Army Ordnance (1919). Handbook of Ordnance Data. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 274.
4. "British Bombs". www.wwi-models.org. Retrieved 2017-03-11.