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AZON (AZimuth ONly) was one of the world's first smart bombs. Officially designated VB-1 (Vertical Bomb), it was invented by Major Henry J. Rand and Thomas J. O'Donnell during the latter stages of World War Two, as the answer to the difficult problem of destroying the narrow wooden bridges that supported much of the Burma Railway. AZON was essentially a 1000 lb (450 kg) bomb with a radio controlled tail fin allowing adjustment of the vertical trajectory in two planes, making basically a guided fall. There were gyroscopes mounted in the bomb to stabilise it, and a radio control system, which had about 3 minutes of battery life, long enough to guide it from a 5000 feet (1,500 m) drop height. On the tail of the bomb was a 600,000 candela flare, to enable the pilot to observe it from the control aircraft. It was dropped from a modified B-24 Liberator. Only ten crews, of the 458th Heavy Bombardment Group, based at Horsham St Faith, were trained to drop the device. AZON crews famously destroyed Bridge 272, the Bridge on the River Kwai, although they used four 1000 lb conventional bombs from treetop height, making four direct hits and destroying one concrete pier, along with two of the spans.
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