Weapons · Germany · 1943-1945
Henschel Hs 293
radio-guided anti-ship glide bomb
The Hs 293 was a rocket-boosted glide bomb steered by a joystick-operated Kehl-Strassburg radio link, generally regarded as the first operational anti-ship guided missile. First used in August 1943, it went on to damage or sink at least 25 Allied ships from carrier aircraft including the He 177 and Do 217, and was later adapted against bridges during and after the Normandy campaign. Like the related Fritz X, its effectiveness fell off sharply once the Allies fielded effective radio jammers in 1944.
| weight | 1,045 kg |
|---|---|
| guidance | Kehl-Strassburg MCLOS radio link |
| range | 4-8.5 km (altitude dependent) |
| produced | 1,000+ |
Battle of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and North Africa, Western Europe
