Flying bomb

A flying bomb is a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle or aircraft carrying a large explosive warhead, a precursor to contemporary cruise missiles.

The term flying bomb is most frequently associated with two specific Second World War weapons, the German V-1 and the Japanese Ohka.

The former was unpiloted, as the first known cruise missile ever deployed in combat; the latter carried a pilot on a kamikaze mission.

The functioning but unsuccessful German Mistel flying bomb was essentially an enormous shaped charge mounted on a repurposed twin-engined medium bomber's airframe (most often a Junkers Ju 88) in place of the cockpit, that was guided by a fighter sitting on top.

Flying bombs are analogous to modern cruise missiles such as the jet-powered Tomahawk and rocket-powered Exocet, in that they are equipped with wings to provide lift over a long distance and generally have engines that operate up until impact.