A gravity bomb is a
munition designed to be dropped from
aircraft. It may or may not
maneuver itself; however, the characteristic that identifies it as such is that it does not provide its own
motive force for travel. The only force acting on the munition that provides
acceleration is
gravity. Maneuvering with
passive control surfaces is sometimes accomplished by
targeting or
navigation systems onboard. See
General Purpose Bombs for examples of gravity bombs, or see
JDAM or
Competent Munition for examples of smarter weapons.