Misplaced Pages

#710289

42-605: Development was started in 2006 for a 250 pounds (113 kg) class bomb that can identify and strike mobile targets from standoff distances in all weather conditions. It is integrated on the F-15E Strike Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet and will be integrated into the F-35 Lightning fighter. Its first flight was announced on May 1, 2009. A contract to start low rate initial production was awarded to Raytheon in June 2015. The bomb

84-470: A thermal seeker and radar with automatic target recognition features for striking mobile targets such as tanks , vehicles , and mobile command posts. The small size of the bomb allows a single-strike aircraft to carry more of them than previously available bombs, and thus strike more targets. The SDB carries approximately 36 lb (16 kg) of AFX-757 high explosive . It has integrated "DiamondBack" type wings which deploy after release, increasing

126-550: A "parabolic flight path" of artillery fire that can be detected on radar. Under a contract awarded in September 2006, Boeing developed a version of the SDB I that replaces the steel casing with a lightweight composite casing and the warhead with a focused-blast explosive such as dense inert metal explosive (DIME). This should further reduce collateral damage when using the weapon for pinpoint strikes in urban areas. The USAF intends to use

168-403: A 2008 report. This United States military article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Small Diameter Bomb The GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb ( SDB ) is a 250-pound (110 kg) precision-guided glide bomb that is intended to allow aircraft to carry a greater number of smaller, more accurate bombs. Most US Air Force aircraft will be able to carry (using

210-739: A GBU-39/B SDB in a strike at the gate of the Al-Mutanabbi school complex near Khan Younis in Southern Gaza, which was being used to house displaced people. The IDF stated that the strike was targeted against a Hamas operative, while the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported at least 27 killed and 53 injured in the strike. In August 2024, CNN reported that Israel used the GBU/39 again in the Al-Tabaeen school attack , killing over 90 people according to

252-521: A contract covering the license production of 500 GBU-39/B (INS/GPS) and 50 BRU-61/A racks for the Aeronautica Militare , at a cost of nearly US$ 34 million. The GBU-39/B began separation tests on the F-22 Raptor in early September 2007, after more than a year of sometimes difficult work to integrate the weapon in the weapons bay and carry out airborne captive carry tests. The SDB is integrated on

294-606: A direct hit. In January 2013 four SDB IIs were loaded into the weapons bay of an F-35 Lightning II alongside an AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. The successful fit check validated that the SDB II was compatible with the F-35 and gave adequate clearance in sweeps of inboard and outboard bay doors. Two SDB IIs successfully conducted live fire tests against moving targets, one in September 2014 and the other in February 2015. Successful live fire tests qualified

336-498: A fraction of the cost; "As we think about the fiscal constraints that we’re under and DoD is under, it’s the right kind of answer where you get an 80 percent solution at a fraction of the cost.” In June 2013, Boeing secured a contract for the development and testing of the LSDB. Under the contract Boeing was to provide engineering, integration test, and production support, plus the development of an LSDB Weapon Simulator. According to Boeing,

378-492: A moving target during the initial search phase, with course correction updates provided using a Link 16 over UHF data link. The bomb has three modes of target acquisition: millimeter-wave radar , infrared homing using an uncooled imaging seeker, and semi-active laser homing. The weapon is capable of fusing the information from the sensors to classify the target and can prioritize certain types of targets as desired when used in semi-autonomous mode. The shaped charge warhead in

420-570: A powered weapon, Raytheon considered a powered SDB II variant. In May 2016, the UK awarded a contract to MBDA to develop the SPEAR 3 missile, as it was the only weapon to meet the UK’s operational requirement. The Republic of Korea Air Force is considering adopting the SDB II for use on its F-15K aircraft, as the bomb's capability to destroy moving targets more than 60 kilometres (37 mi) away in all kinds of weather

462-517: A “nearly 90 percent" accuracy rate. Previously Ukraine had operated the GLSDB ground-launched version of the Small Diameter Bomb, which was regarded "ineffective" due to Russian jamming. They are also harder to intercept due to their small size. This small size, combined with being air-launched, means that the SDB might hit a target before Russian electronic warfare can jam the weapon. The GLSDB has

SECTION 10

#1732851906711

504-403: Is a term commonly used in military weapons projects and programs to designate the phase of initial, small-quantity production . The term is also applied in fields other than weapons production, most commonly in non-weapon military equipment programs. With LRIP, the prospective first buyer and operator (i.e., a country's defense authorities and the relevant military units) can thoroughly test

546-714: Is attached to a BRU-32/A bomb ejector rack connected to SUU-79 pylons, and then to the aircraft fuselage. The BRU-55/A is an upgrade, largely on the electronics, to the BRU-33 CVER (Canted Vertical) bomb ejection rack. The BRU-55 was developed as part of the Mk-82 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program. Current testing of this configuration will only be performed using the F/A-18E/F mid-board weapon stations, followed by testing SDB II and BRU-55 on in-board stations. The subsequent step will be to perform testing of

588-402: Is developed and manufactured by Raytheon. A Boeing / Lockheed Martin team attempted to develop it but lost in a U.S. Air Force competition. Boeing won the original competition but the project was on hold for several years due to a corruption scandal involving Darleen Druyun . The competition was reopened in September 2005. The bomb can use GPS/INS to guide itself into the general vicinity of

630-404: Is reduced by updating differential GPS offsets prior to weapon release. These offsets are calculated using an SDB Accuracy Support Infrastructure, consisting of three or more GPS receivers at fixed locations transmitting calculated location to a correlation station at the theatre Air Operations Center . The corrections are then transmitted by Link 16 to SDB-equipped aircraft. In November 2014,

672-467: Is useful to strike North Korean mobile missile launchers. In October 2017, the U.S. approved the sale of 3,900 SDBs to the Royal Australian Air Force for use on their F-35As. In July 2018, Raytheon announced that the SDB II, recently renamed StormBreaker, had entered operational testing; the weapon had achieved a 90% success rate during developmental testing. The Air Force planned to declare

714-785: The F-15E Strike Eagle , Panavia Tornado , JAS-39 Gripen , F-16 Fighting Falcon , F-22 Raptor and AC-130W . Future integration is planned for the F-35 Lightning II , A-10 Thunderbolt II , B-1 Lancer , B-2 Spirit , B-52 Stratofortress and AC-130J . Other aircraft, including UCAVs , may also receive the necessary upgrades. The General Atomics MQ-20 Avenger is also planned to carry the weapon. Evidence appeared in May 2024 that Ukraine has modified MiG-29 AS fighters to carry eight GBU-39/B. The Ukrainian Air Force has used air-dropped Small Diameter Bombs since November 2023. The air-dropped Small Diameter Bomb "has proved resilient to jamming” and has

756-587: The BRU-61/A Type 2 Universal Armament Interface (UAI) pneumatic rack, which will be the primary stores system for the F-35. For U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps integration with the F-35B and F-35C, the BRU-61/A will be utilized. The BRU-61/A is a pneumatic Multi-Stores Carriage System produced by Cobham Mission Systems. Each weapon station will be able to carry 4 SDB IIs. The BRU-61/A utilizes pneumatic ejection, which ejects

798-514: The BRU-61/A rack ) a pack of four SDBs in place of a single 2,000-pound (910 kg) Mark 84 bomb . It first entered service in 2006. The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) was later developed to enable the SDB to be launched from a variety of ground launchers and configurations. The original SDB is equipped with a GPS-aided inertial navigation system to attack fixed/stationary targets such as fuel depots , bunkers , etc. The second variant, Raytheon's GBU-53/B SDB II , will include

840-660: The GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II, which has a data link and a tri-mode seeker built with technology developed for the Precision Attack Missile . In August 2010 the U.S. Air Force awarded a $ 450 million contract for engineering and development. Although unit costs were somewhat uncertain as of 2006, the estimated cost for the INS/GPS version was around US$ 70,000. Boeing and the Italian firm Oto Melara signed

882-521: The L3Harris BRU-55 smart multiple carriage racks on F/A-18E/F to store and fire the SDB II for the U.S. Navy. The L3Harris BRU-55/A smart rack enables the aircraft to carry two MIL-STD-1760 smart weapons, such as the SDB II, on each weapon station. The electronic control assembly and digital communications from the aircraft to the weapon are handled by the BRU-55 canted vertical ejector rack, which in turn

SECTION 20

#1732851906711

924-451: The LRIP is commonly the first step in transitioning from highly customized, hand-built prototypes to the final mass-produced end product. In practice, either the production capability or the weapons system itself can be unready during the LRIP phase. This can mean that systems produced during LRIP are built significantly differently both in terms of technique and cost owing to the immaturity of

966-540: The LSDB can be constructed at a more economical cost compared to the planned Raytheon GBU-53/B SDB II, leveraging the same semi-active laser sensor as the JDAM to effectively target moving and maritime targets. However, Boeing admitted to a capability gap in the ability to engage targets in zero-visibility weather, lacking the millimeter wave radar of the GBU-53/B SDB II. In 2014, U.S. Special Operations Command began fielding

1008-461: The Laser SDB. It was reported that Israel used a GBU-39/B SDB during the strike that killed 45 civilians in a Rafah refugee tent camp on May 26, 2024. Its usage in a densely-populated civilian area was criticized by munitions experts. The size of the debris field indicated that the bombs may have been timed to detonate in air to maximize the area of damage. According to CNN, Israel also used

1050-787: The SDB II operational in September 2019, but a problem with the bomb's backup fin storage clips, other hardware and software issues, and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its introduction. The StormBreaker was approved for operational use onboard the F-15E in September 2020. The Navy declared Early Operational Capability (EOC) of the StormBreaker on the F/A-18E/F in October 2023. Raytheon : Stormbreaker Smart Weapon [REDACTED] Media related to GBU-53/B StormBreaker at Wikimedia Commons Low rate initial production Low rate initial production (LRIP)

1092-511: The SDB. In 2002, while Boeing and Lockheed Martin were competing to develop the Small Diameter Bomb, Darleen A. Druyun – at that time Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition and Management – deleted the requirement for moving target engagement, which favored Boeing. She was later convicted of violating a conflict of interest statute. In May 2009, Raytheon announced that it had completed its first test flight of

1134-469: The U.S. Air Force began the development of a version of the SDB I intended to track and attack sources of electronic warfare jamming directed to disrupt the munitions' guidance. The home-on-GPS jam (HOG-J) seeker works similar to the AGM-88 HARM to follow the source of a radio-frequency jammer to destroy it. In January 2016, the Air Force awarded a contract to Scientific Systems Co. Inc. to demonstrate

1176-470: The U.S. Senate recommended zeroing out funding for the GBU-53/B SDB II due to fielding delays with the F-35 Lightning II. Commenting on the delay of the SDB II, Debbie Rub, Boeing 's VP & GM of Missiles and Unmanned Airborne Systems said, “Until that [SDB II] comes online … this is a nice gap filler to take care of an important warfighting need," stating that Boeing could fill the gap in capability at

1218-616: The assembly capacity developed during LRIP. Immaturity in a system's design or its method of production discovered during LRIP phase can result in additional LRIP phases to verify corrections and improvements, or project cancellation. The Congressional Budget Office has found that the United States Department of Defense rarely achieves projected cost savings because too many programs fail to move from LRIP to full-scale production. The Japanese Ministry of Defense similarly lists R&D and initial production as "high-risk phases" in

1260-417: The bomb has both blast and fragmentation effects, which makes it effective against infantry, armor (including MBTs), unhardened structures and buildings, as well as patrol craft sized boats and other soft targets. The bomb would be the first purpose-built no-drive zone enforcement weapon. The use of uncooled imaging infrared has been cited as innovative and effective in reducing costs. An important feature of

1302-612: The company's ImageNav technology, a vision-based navigation and precision targeting system that compares a terrain database with the host platform's sensor to make course corrections. ImageNav technology has demonstrated target geo-location and navigation precision within three meters. In January 2016, Orbital ATK revealed that the Alternative Warhead (AW), designed for the M270 's GMLRS to achieve area effects without leaving behind unexploded ordnance , had been successfully tested on

GBU-53/B StormBreaker - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-558: The earlier goal of $ 180,000 (year 2010 US Dollar valuation, equivalent to $ 196,193 in 2015, inflation adjusted). Raytheon was awarded a $ 31 million contract on 12 June 2015 for the first LRIP lot of 144 SDB IIs. Raytheon considered offering the SDB II to the United Kingdom for their Spear Capability 3 requirement to arm the Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon and Royal Navy F-35B. To compete with MBDA's offer of

1386-460: The first batch is planned for late 2014. Government requirements specify a 2016 delivery date. In October 2020, the Air Force approved the weapon for operational flight on the F-15E. The U.S. Navy plans to first integrate the SDB II onto their F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, then onto the F-35B and C fighters. With the F-35 program experiencing continued delays from a naval perspective, the U.S. Navy has decided to change their integration strategy by using

1428-461: The glide time and therefore the maximum range. Its size and accuracy allow for an effective munition with less collateral damage . Warhead penetration is 3 ft (1 m) of steel reinforced concrete under 3 ft (1 m) of earth and the fuze has electronic safe and fire (ESAF) cockpit selectable functions, including air burst and delayed options. The SDB I has a circular error probable (CEP) precision of 3 ft (1 m). CEP

1470-476: The new weapon is maximizing the number of bombs carried by the strike aircraft. A total of 28 GBU-53/B can be carried by the F-15E Strike Eagle using seven BRU-61/A suspension units, each carrying four bombs. Eight bombs along with two AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles can be carried in the weapons bay of the F-22 Raptor or the F-35 Lightning II (even the STOVL F-35B). The SDB II bomb rack originally did not fit inside

1512-515: The production line or changes in the weapons system's design, necessitating a large degree of hand assembly and trial and error typically associated with the prototyping stage. Furthermore, the cost of each LRIP system can be much greater than the final mass production unit cost, since the LRIP cost can include both the R&;D and setup cost for production, although the goal is for this additional cost to be spread out over future production carried out by

1554-614: The same FLM casing on a weapon of 500 pounds (227 kg). Boeing celebrated the delivery of the first 50 FLM weapons on 28 February 2008 and delivered the last of the 500 FLMs under contract in December 2013. In 2011 Boeing began testing on a laser-guided version of the baseline SDB, integrating the same Semi Active Laser (SAL) from the GBU-54 Laser JDAM. Boeing claimed to have successfully hit targets moving at 30 mph (48.3 km/h) and 50 mph (80.5 km/h). In mid-2012,

1596-477: The smaller F-35B weapons bay. A modification will be provided to coincide with the software package. An F-35 can carry 24 total bombs, 8 internally and 16 externally. The United States Air Force plans to use the bomb on the F-15E Strike Eagles as a no-drive zone enforcement weapon. The United States Navy and United States Marine Corps plan to use it on their versions of the F-35 Lightning II. Delivery for

1638-513: The stores using compressed air, as opposed to previous systems which rely on pyrotechnic cartridges. The original Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) was developed by Boeing and made for non-moving targets. The SDB II is designed to destroy moving targets in dust and bad weather. The Raytheon version was deployed successfully in 26 missions over 21 days. Raytheon was awarded the contract in August, 2010. The North American division of MBDA continues to produce

1680-439: The weapon for the Air Force to make a Milestone C decision, leading to entering low-rate initial production (LRIP). The SDB II received Milestone C approval in early May 2015, completing a five-year development program and clearing it for production and deployment with the F-15E. A handful of failed test shots prolonged development from four years to five, but per-unit cost was $ 115,000 (year 2015 US Dollar valuation), reduced from

1722-417: The weapons system over some protracted amount of time in order to gain a reasonable degree of confidence as to whether the system actually performs to the agreed-upon requirements before contracts for mass production are signed. At the same time, manufacturers can use the LRIP as a production test phase in which they develop the assembly line models that would eventually be used in mass production. Therefore,

GBU-53/B StormBreaker - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-519: The wings. The Raytheon contract is worth US$ 450 million. Boeing announced that it would not protest the Raytheon award. On July 17, 2012 the SDB II successfully engaged and hit a moving target during a flight test at the White Sands Missile Range . The bomb was dropped from an F-15E Strike Eagle, then acquired, tracked, and guided itself onto a moving target using its tri-mode seeker, scoring

#710289