Forum: F-35 Armament, Stores and Tactics

The B has the same internal payload space of the Raptors main bay, so if the -22 can carry 8, the B can carry 8.

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I wonder if SDBs can be stacked vertically in the F-35 bay. I can imagine ejecting a rack of four all at once that separate after they clear the bay.

F-35B holds three SDB1s or four SDB2s per bay. With the SDB1s, it's the same old four-pack, just with one left out because it clipped the corner a little bit. SDB2 (or perhaps its carrier) was reshaped slightly to take care of that.

I infer that this will result in a preference for the Marines' SDB arsenal to be all type 2 instead of a mix of types 1 and 2 like in the Air Force and Navy.

They cannot be stacked in the traditional sense due to the need to forcibly eject them from the bay, rather than simply letting them drop.

On the issue of SDB1/2 in the F-35B's bay, they could still carry both !&@ at the same time as long as the forward corner position has a SDB2.

SpudmanWP wrote:

They cannot be stacked in the traditional sense due to the need to forcibly eject them from the bay, rather than simply letting them drop.

On the issue of SDB1/2 in the F-35B's bay, they could still carry both !&@ at the same time as long as the forward corner position has a SDB2.

Like I said, I was thinking you could arrange them in a package of four that was ejected as one piece, which would then separate from each other after ejection. I don't think there is a problem weight-wise, I just don't know if the bay dimensions are large enough.

Sorry, I missed the whole "ejecting a rack of four all at once" part Wink

I wonder if the bay is tall enough for another layer of SBDs (BRU-61/SDB/SDB)?

Has 8x SDB block I been cleared yet for F-35A internal stores?

SDB block II is set for F-35 block IV?? IOC sometime around 2020 maybe?

Good thing there are F-15E to load block II SDB in the interim.

Will 8x SDBs be in F-35A/C IOC, yes.

Have they been cleared, no as weapon separation tests are just starting to get started.

SDB II December 31, 2011 SAR

http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/logistics_m ... 202011.pdf (276Kbs)

"Mission and Description
Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II) is a joint interest United States Air Force (USAF) and Department of Navy (DoN) Aquisition Category ID program, with the Air Force (AF) as the lead service. SDB II provides the warfighter the capability to attack mobile targets from stand-off, through weather. The threshold aircraft for the AF is the F-15E and the threshold aircraft for the DoN are the F-35B and F-35C. Objective aircraft include the F-16, F/A-18E/F, F-22A, F-35A, B-1B, B-2, B-52, A-10, and MQ-9. SDB II will be compatible with the Bomb Rack Unit (BRU-61) miniature munitions carriage, the CNU-660/E carriage system storage container, the Common Munitions Bit and Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE), and the Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS). The SDB II program will develop and field a sing weapon storage container for the USAF and a dual weapon storage container for the DoN.

Executive Summary
In 2011, the program made significant progress in executing the development and qualification program to field the SDB II system. The Critical Design Review (CDR) was completed on January 20, 2011. The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Engineering concluded that the CDR is complete and the SDB II Program is “well situated to continue into the System Capability and Manufacturing Process Demonstration Phase.”

Raytheon Missile Systems (RMS) began flight testing in FY 2011 with an open air Control Test Vehicle release to demonstrate aerodynamic performance of the weapon. System qualification testing of the SDB II tri-mode seeker (millimeter wave, imaging infrared, and semi-active laser) began in late FY 2011 and over 100 hours of Captive Flight Tests against fixed and moving targets have been completed. Warhead lethality testing against heavy armored targets demonstrates weapon effectiveness requirements are being met. The SDB II program is on track for a June 2013 System Verification Review and an August 2013 Milestone (MS) C.

The SDB II program has defined a viable path forward to account for the known F-35 schedule impacts. The FY 2013 President's Budget (PB13) incorporates savings from actual contract option pricing, delayed start of reliability testing and realization of efficiencies gained through competition. PB13 reflects a funding profile to execute the current estimated F-35B and F-35C initial fielding dates of September 2020. Once the F-35 follow-on development schedule is finalized, the SDB II Acquisition Program Baseline (APB) will be updated.

The approved SDB II baseline program was originally planned for F-35 Block 3.X operational flight program (OFP) integration. Since the SDB II contract award there have been further delays to the F-35 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) program. As a result, SDB II integration will be accomplished as a follow-on integration to F-35 SDD. Due to these F-35 delays, the SDB II F-35B and F-35C initial fielding dates stated in the APB will slip from the current threshold date of June 2019 to an estimated initial fielding date of September 2020, resulting in an SDB II APB schedule breach. This drives a change to the full-rate production decision from October 2019 to June 2020 resulting in an additional APB schedule breach. Air Force F-15E fielding is not impacted and remains on track for July 2016.

The Milestone Decision Authority approved MS B on July 29, 2010, and the subsequent APB was signed on October 8, 2010. On August 6, 2010, the Defense Acquisition Executive signed an Acquisition Decision Memorandum authorizing the program to enter Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) and certified the program pursuant to section 2366b of title 10, United States Code. A $450.8 million Fixed Price Incentive Firm-type EMD contract was awarded to RMS, Tucson, Arizona on August 9, 2010. RMS will complete the design, development, weapon integration, and test for the joint interest SDB II program. F-15E integration is being accomplished by Boeing, St. Louis, Missouri through the F-15 Development Systems Program Office using Air Force SDB II funding. The F-35B and F-35C aircraft integration contract will be awarded to Lockheed Martin, Fort Worth, Texas by the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Joint Program Office using Department of Navy SDB II funding.

There are no significant software-related issues with this program at this time."

Forum: F-35 Armament, Stores and Tactics

Raytheon SDB II [F-35 Simulated Video]