Pyrotechnic Bombs Aircraft Flares

Aircraft flares serve to provide illumination for target marker, battlefield visibility, recon naissance, observation, bombardment, 

We are giving here one typical example of a flare, which resembles more than other flares a conventional bomb  

Aircraft Parachute Flare, M26A1. shown on Figs 2-24 2-25, is intended for illumination in night bombardment. It is parachute-supported type which burns with a yellowish light and casts circular usable illumination upon the terrain 1500 feet in diam. By use of an MT fuze of the Mill Series the flare may be released from altitudes 2500 to 25000 feet at 350 mph true air speed 

The shade assembly (intended to shield the bombardier from the glare) consists of an asbestos orFiberglas shade(G), shade wire, 8 steel tubing ribs (F) springs, and a shade frame clamped to the base block end of the illuminant assembly. A shade retainer support (B) into which a steel fuze adapter and its plastic shipping plug (A) fits, completes the flare assembly 

The flare can be launched from bomb shackles, from shackles mounted in bomb bays, or from launcher tubes. It should not be released manually except in emergency The flare may be released safe or armed . If released safe, it may function on impact. If released armed the flare functions as follows (See Fig 2-25) 

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Although many pyrotechnic items, such as flares, aircraft signals, simulators and photoflash bombs are released from aircraft and are actually bombs, only photoflash bombs are classified as bombs and stored with bombs and not with pyrotechnic items. The reason for this is that the fillin g of photoflash bombs is explosive and such bombs are hazardous to handle. Another reason is that they resemble in appearance conventional aircraft bombs... 

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