[swordtart]

It further occurs to me that as bombs are only powered by gravity, there is no effective way to "aim" them when horizontal bombing. All you can do is chose a drop time. You can't aim off to the left as the bomb can only move in the direction the plane was travelling at the point it was released and at the speed of release (and decelerating over time). You can only aim in a straight line ahead of the current a/c position. Note that a 1000lb bomb weighs 1000lb. There is no additional weight in there for any traverse or propelling mechanism (unlike a rocket). Cluster bombs also need some dispersal mechanism and probably proportionally more explosive which adds 50% but still have no traverse mechanism. Basically bombs fall off rather than being launched (Aeroduel seems to use the words launched, dropped and "fired" interchangeably).

This also explains why bombs can be dropped on automatic. Just like DW they simply appear under* the a/c like any other Under mounted DW. Any aimed weapon on automatic fires out in a straight line from the side it is mounted on (just like a DW does). It also explains why range isn't relevant, if you aren't "aiming", you can't deviate. DWs never miss. I'd argue that under these circumstances you wouldn't need at least a 12 either. Finally it explains why bombs which must be under mounted can be carried in cargo spaces (perhaps we should allow this for ground vehicle DWs)

Laser guidance provides some limited steering capability and that may be why it provides a bonus to hit rather than it hitting where an aimed laser beam is. If the guiding laser it is switched off or redirected after the bomb is dropped the bomb simply looses the +3 to hit rather than automatically missing (as would a laser guided rocket). It is going where it is going.

If you take this interpretation it explains why any consideration of the time to fall and forward component of movement is even included. You as a player are required to work out your optimum drop point based on your a/c position, height and speed. At the point you drop you lose control of the bomb and it just follows the mathematically determined path to where it ends up.

Scatter is there to take into account that your bombardier is not as omnipotent as you and the bombs flight can be affected by windspeed (which can be different at different altitudes), turbulence, inability to see the target properly and plain misjudgement etc. As corollary all gunfire follows the direct line path to the target, the to hit roll determines how good the gunner was in getting that lined up on the intended target.

If (and only if) you follow this interpretation can you bomb from a mile up. As pointed out in an earlier post you can't miss the ground. If you can see your target, calculate instantaneously when you need to release 13 seconds before your A/C is even over the target and manoeuvre your a/c into the correct position so that the bombs straight out path and fall rate coincide with your chosen target point then you deserve a shot at it.

Even if you manage to correctly calculate the drop point, your bombardier may still stuff it up. The maximum distance you can scatter is 60" off target. This equates to 300 yards. This doesn't seem implausible. It would move even a cluster bombs area of effect far outside the target area.

These interpretations would make bombing work in CW and none of it is wholly incompatible with any of the words in Aeroduel (and no more so than the words in Aeroduel are incompatible with other words in Aeroduel).

*Aeroduel mentions bombs are "fired" into the front arc but as they would be subject to the 45 degree maximum arc this can't be literally true. I think this is to recognise that bombs will land ahead of their "launch point", even though their launch is simply inherited speed from the a/c.