Author Topic: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb  (Read 10183 times)

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« on: November 21, 2014, 01:01:11 PM »
I am looking for information on the Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb.  It is an RAF and RN FAA weapon.  It looks a lot like the American Mk 80 series in shape but that is where it ends.  The attached UXO drawings are the only thing I have managed to find on this weapon and I would like to know a bit more about it such as service use and history.  Anybody have a link to share on this thing?  Please share if you do. 

Thanks,
« Last Edit: November 22, 2014, 12:52:18 AM by Jeffry Fontaine »
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Offline Kerick

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Re: Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2014, 01:17:04 PM »
What country is this from?

Re: Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2014, 11:05:03 PM »
Those look more like artillery rounds than bombs.


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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: UK RAF - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2014, 12:51:40 AM »
What country is this from?
Forgot to include country of origin.  It is the UK so this would be an RAF and RN FAA weapon. 

Those look more like artillery rounds than bombs.
At first glance it sure does look like something that would be shot out of a gun but the suspension rings and fuze wells would be a bit of a problem. 
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Offline Old Wombat

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Re: Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2014, 01:24:44 AM »
Those look more like artillery rounds than bombs.


Chris

Most bombs do until the tail cone is fitted for the role it is to perform (for example: high-drag, standard stabiliser, penetrator, etc.).
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Offline Weaver

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2014, 01:46:57 AM »
I've only ever seen N1 bombs in drawings of proposed types that never actually entered service, so I presume it was only a project. All the UK 1000lb GP bombs I've seen in actual use have been of the blunter type.
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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2014, 02:46:50 AM »
I've only ever seen N1 bombs in drawings of proposed types that never actually entered service, so I presume it was only a project. All the UK 1000lb GP bombs I've seen in actual use have been of the blunter type.
Same experience for me Harold, always the other bluff/blunt shape ordnance.  I would have to expect that the bomb did enter into production otherwise there would not be a UXO/EOD reference drawing of the thing. 

Was it developed for the TSR.2 and other high-performance aircraft of that time frame and eventually abandoned? 
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Offline PR19_Kit

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2014, 03:42:52 AM »
Was it developed for the TSR.2 and other high-performance aircraft of that time frame and eventually abandoned?

Not according to the two 'Best Books' on the TSR2 subject. AFAIK the aircraft was designed to use existing conventional weapons, but some missiles and nuke stuff were being developed, or planned, specially for it.
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Kit

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Offline kitnut617

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2014, 04:35:01 AM »
so that's what's in this set -

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2014, 05:01:23 AM »
so that's what's in this set -
Yes it is.  At a distance or in a passing glance you would think you had seen an American Mk 83 but further scrutiny reveals that there are some differences.  I would like to know more about the weapon and when it was developed and what became of it since the RAF/RN FAA still rely on the more traditional looking 1000 pound weapon that has changed little from the original weapons developed during WW2.  The real differences being  the tail fin assembly that morphed from a ring tail to the elongated conical tail with four fins and nearly identical retarding tail fin assembly. 
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Offline PR19_Kit

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2014, 07:48:56 AM »
Ah, OK, I was looking for bombs developed for the TSR2 alone so I got side tracked.

Pail Lucas' book, 'Lost Tomorrows of an Eagle' mentions the 1000 lb N1 bombs as an alternative to the then current 1000 lb Mk 6 bombs, a blunter, more WWII looking weapon. Apparently the FAA already had large stocks of the 1000 lb N1 for use by the Buccaneers. The RAF wanted to use a retarded tail on the 1000 lb N1s but the MoA reckoned there was not enough time to do that for the N1s and the Mks 6,9,11 and 12 as well so they abandoned that idea.

The N1's official title was 'Bomb, HE, Aircraft, MC, 1000 lb, Mk. N1 with Ml 115 tail.' There are two photos of an N1 mounted on the outer wing pylon of a TSR2 on page 81 of the book.

Pail Lucas, the book's author, did the masters for that SAM set that Robert's got, and it looks like Freightdog may re-issue the set later next year too.
Regards
Kit

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Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2014, 08:05:58 AM »
A damned shame that it is not available for the 1:48th scale TSR.2 kit.
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Offline Old Wombat

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2014, 08:09:56 AM »
A damned shame that it is not available for the 1:48th scale TSR.2 kit.

Or the Bucc's (if they ever get re-released)! :)
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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #13 on: November 23, 2014, 02:32:19 AM »
A quick internet search indicates that The Aviation Workshop did release a 1/48 set - you can still find these for sale:

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Offline kitnut617

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #14 on: November 23, 2014, 04:30:32 AM »
The RAF wanted to use a retarded tail on the 1000 lb N1s but the MoA reckoned there was not enough time to do that for the N1s and the Mks 6,9,11 and 12 as well so they abandoned that idea.

Does that mean I could use a tail cone from one of the guided bombs found in any Tornado kit and convert the N1's I have, Kit ?

Offline Jeffry Fontaine

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #15 on: January 18, 2015, 02:45:35 AM »
The RAF wanted to use a retarded tail on the 1000 lb N1s but the MoA reckoned there was not enough time to do that for the N1s and the Mks 6,9,11 and 12 as well so they abandoned that idea.
Does that mean I could use a tail cone from one of the guided bombs found in any Tornado kit and convert the N1's I have, Kit ?

See no reason why you can not do that Robert.  But for ease of building in 1:72nd scale, why not consider using the readily available GBU-16 Pave Way II instead as it is based on the American Mk83 1000 pound GP bomb and it is very similar in size and shape.  For something in 1:72nd scale it would certainly be less effort in achieving your objective of a guided weapon shape that looks like the N1. 
"Every day we hear about new studies 'revealing' what should have been obvious to sentient beings for generations; 'Research shows wolverines don't like to be teased" -- Jonah Goldberg

Offline kitnut617

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Re: UK RAF and RN FAA - Mk. N1 HE MC 1000 pound Bomb
« Reply #16 on: January 18, 2015, 04:05:50 AM »
The RAF wanted to use a retarded tail on the 1000 lb N1s but the MoA reckoned there was not enough time to do that for the N1s and the Mks 6,9,11 and 12 as well so they abandoned that idea.
Does that mean I could use a tail cone from one of the guided bombs found in any Tornado kit and convert the N1's I have, Kit ?

See no reason why you can not do that Robert.  But for ease of building in 1:72nd scale, why not consider using the readily available GBU-16 Pave Way II instead as it is based on the American Mk83 1000 pound GP bomb and it is very similar in size and shape.  For something in 1:72nd scale it would certainly be less effort in achieving your objective of a guided weapon shape that looks like the N1.


A-ha! right, got some of those already Jeff