WW2 US Military Navigation - Bendix Sextant - AN-5851-1 in Bakelite Case

This vintage Bendix Aviation sextant, model AN-5851-1, is an essential piece of history for any World War II aviation or maritime  collector or enthusiast.  This sextant was used by the US military for navigation purposes.  These were essential instruments on PBY, B-17, and B-29 aircraft and used by navigators who put them up in the navigation dome on the top of the fuselage. From this instrument they did celestial navigation to pinpoint directions to the target and back to base.  The sextant comes in its original Bakelite case along with the sextant dome hanger and B&L marked battery holder.

This piece is perfectly functional as a navigational tool today, and reveals the bravery and ingenuity of those who served on combat aircraft. The sextant's intricate design and attention to detail reveal the quality of craftsmanship of the time period.  During World War II the cost of producing one of these was equivalent to the cost of buying several brand new cars!  Whether you're a collector or simply interested in history, this Bendix Aviation sextant is a must-have for any collection.

 Is such useful today?

 Absolutely so!

One case I read about was a British expedition to the Arabian Empty Quarter some time in the 1990's. They used electronic GPS units... Well they did not hold up in the extreme heat of the day and frigid nights and they had no directions out of the endless dunes. They would have been desert mummies had not a caravan of Tuaregs who could navigate by the sun and stars not found them. Saved and willing to go back, they then learned how to use this type of sextant, and carried several of these just in case their electronic GPS failed again.

The learning curve to use these takes some time, but doing so is worth it. I have used it to locate stars, and also measure the height of mountains. And it can be very useful in observing the sun during solar eclipses as it has a very wide field of view. I took another one for the total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024 to observe the corona and prominences. 

Now for those that do not know, this sextant is radioactive, and with a CDV-700 Geiger Counter it measures 4 mr/hr over the enclosed and sealed bubble chamber.  And back then this was necessary to illuminate the bubble at times when the batteries in the holder were depleted on long flights.  But today the luminous phosphorescent paint is much fainter than it was during the war.


All stated; this is one of the best, cleanest, complete, and working original Bakelite boxed Bendix AN-5851 one can have for their World War II collection.

Please note: This will not be sent outside of the United States.