this post was submitted on 02 Jan 2024
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In regards to your edit, it's not just rockets and dumb bombs. For example, ballistic missiles, which is why they're more vulnerable to interception as they follow a predictable ballistic trajectory.
Hypersonic missiles have technically existed since the middle 20th century. But in the modern context it refers to a technology that would allow for maneuver during hypersonic flight i.e. adjusting trajectory while at speeds exceeding Mach 5.
Might be unrelated to the overall thread but "dumb bomb" has to be my hate word of the century when it comes to military tech. Even bombs with no guidance system whatsoever can be deployed relatively precisely depending on the system used for launching them. Not to speak of glide kits etc. /end of mini rant
Why call it a dumb bomb tho? We already have a word for them - bombs.
I'd say it's not a dumb take, just a take
That's like saying we should just say fighter jets are planes. While it's true, it's not accurate enough to be informative in most scenarios.
Bombs include a lot of subvariants e.g. glide bombs, GPS guided bombs, etc.
Dumb bomb is a correct term, but if you prefer, a less colloquial version would be unguided bomb/ordinance.
Think about it, if a bomb is entirely reliant on its launching mechanism for targeting, and unable to adjust itself ones it's been deployed, it's dumb.
It's dumb because it's a quick and easy descriptor to easily differentiate it from the capabilities inherent to smart bombs, or guided munitions.