proximity fuze

proximity fuze, an explosive ignition device used in bombs, artillery shells, and mines. The fuze senses when a target is close enough to be damaged or destroyed by the weapon’s explosion. The sensor is typically a small radar set that sends out signals and listens for their reflections from nearby objects.

The proximity fuze was developed through British and American cooperation in the early stages of World War II. It was first used against ground troops in the Battle of the Bulge (1944). The advantage was that the gunners could fire shells to explode over troop positions, showering them with deadly shell fragments. The proximity fuze sensed radar returns from the ground and triggered the explosive charge while the shell was still 20 to 50 feet (6 to 15 m) in the air. The device was also well suited to antiaircraft artillery, with shells bursting when the fuze reported the close presence of an aircraft rather than at a preset altitude as was the previous practice.

Proximity fuzes were used effectively by both ground and naval antiaircraft batteries in the later stages of World War II. They were especially useful against the V-1 flying bombs sent over England by Germany and against Japanese aircraft attacking U.S. ships in the Pacific. The development of the proximity fuze, along with the introduction of electronically controlled aiming devices, greatly increased the accuracy of antiaircraft fire.