Forum: F-16 Armament & Stores

Providence Business News (November 2, 2006):

Textron Systems gets contract from U.S. Air Force

Textron Systems Corp. said it has received a foreign military sale contract from the U.S. Air Force, for the sale of the sensor fuzed weapon to the Turkish Air Force.

The sale of the weapon, also known as CBU-105, will equip the Turkish Air Force F-16 with a smart weapon able to destroy multiple moving or stationary land and maritime threats, with "minimum collateral damage," Textron Systems said.

"We are seeing strong international interest in this very versatile weapon since its impressive debut in Operation Iraqi Freedom," Tom Harrington, vice president of airborne products at Textron Systems, said in a news release. "Working together with the U.S. Air Force, Textron Systems is quite pleased to provide the Turkish Air Force with this powerful and proven weapon system."

Textron Systems serves the global aerospace and defense industries. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avco Corp., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Providence-based Textron Inc.

Current story link:
http://www.pbn.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/123423

Mass High Tech (November 2, 2006):

Textron to supply Turkey with sensor fuzed weapons

Providence-based Textron Systems Corp. has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force for a weapon system order for the Turkish Air Force.

Textron Systems is expected to provide Sensor Fuzed Weapons, also known as CBU-105, for the F-16 aircraft. The weapons are designed to accurately detect and defeat stationary or moving land and maritime targets with minimal collateral damage, according to the company reports.

Company executives declined to release the amount of the contract. Textron Systems Corp. specializes in surveillance, advanced weapons, aircraft engines and aircraft control components. It is a subsidiary of Avco Corp., which is a subsidiary of Textron Inc., which reports $10 billion in annual revenue and employs 37,000 workers in 33 countries. Textron Inc. is based in Providence.

Current story link:
http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech ... from_rss=1

Textron Systems Completes International Sale of Sensor Fuzed Weapon to Turkey

Wilmington, MA - November 1, 2006 - Textron Systems announced today that it has received a contract from the United States Air Force for a Foreign Military Sale (FMS) of the Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) to the Turkish Air Force (TuAF). Also known as CBU-105, SFW will equip the TuAF F-16 with a smart weapon that can effectively destroy multiple moving or stationary land and maritime threats with minimal collateral damage while leaving no hazardous unexploded ordinance on the battlefield.

Tom Harrington, vice president, airborne products, Textron Systems, said, "We are seeing strong international interest in this very versatile weapon since its impressive debut in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Working together with the US Air Force, Textron Systems is quite pleased to provide the Turkish Air Force with this powerful and proven weapon system."

About the Sensor Fuzed Weapon

Known as CBU-97 and CBU-105, Textron Systems' Sensor Fuzed Weapon is the first and only combat-proven smart area weapon of its kind in U.S. Air Force inventory designed to accurately detect and defeat multiple stationary or moving land & maritime threat targets with minimal collateral damage. SFW's demonstrated lethality against armor makes CBU-105 an important force-multiplying capability for the warfighter. Its 40 smart Skeet warheads have both a hard and soft target capability and are equipped with two self-destruct modes and a self-neutralization feature to leave no hazardous unexploded ordnance on the ground, resulting in a clean battlefield.

Known as CBU-97 and CBU-105, Textron Systems' Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW) is the first and only combat-proven smart area weapon of its kind in U.S. Air Force inventory designed to accurately detect and defeat multiple threat targets. Superior lethality makes it the standoff weapon of choice for anti-armor, anti-air defense and other air combat missions.

The SFW, a 1,000-pound class weapon, contains our own BLU-108 submunition and Smart Skeet warheads. Equipped with dual-mode passive infrared and active laser sensors on each warhead, one SFW can simultaneously detect and engage many fixed and moving land combat targets within a 30-acre coverage area.

Combat proven on April 2, 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom, SFW took out multiple Iraqi tanks in a single pass. SFW's 40 warheads are also equipped with timed self- de-activation modes for clean battlefield operation.

Source link:
http://www.systems.textron.com/index.ht ... trike.html

For high altitude release and active guidance (emphasized by me, J.J.), Lockheed Martin’s Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD) tail kit is available as an option. Incorporating the WCMD tail kit on CBU-97 redesignates SFW as a CBU-105. Aircraft must be MIL-STD-1760 compliant to deploy CBU-105.

SFW data sheet:
http://www.systems.textron.com/pdf/prod ... asheet.pdf

CBU-105 Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD)

The SFW is operationally effective when employed at low altitude using level or shallow angle dive deliveries. The weapon is most effective when employed at low altitude from level flight attitudes in a non-countermeasured environment. Due to TMD performance limitations, the current SFW weapon configuration provides the user a limited range of tactical employment options. Weapon effectiveness decreases as release altitude, dive angle, and/or time of flight increases because of adverse effects of wind conditions, weapon dispersion, and aim point uncertainties on delivery accuracy. This performance degradation is an inherent characteristic of all inventory TMD weapons. Due to these TMD accuracy limitations, the USAF Air Combat Command plans to outfit SFW with Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) tail kit. The SFW's delivery envelope will be expanded to include strategic aircraft and higher altitudes through incorporation of the WCMD. The SFW with WCMD is designated CBU-105.

CBU-97 SFW can be delivered in all weather conditions, day or night, from altitudes of 200 to 20,000 feet, and at speeds up to 650 knots. By incorporating Lockheed Martin's Wind Corrected Munition Dispenser (WCMD) tail kit on SFW, which then redesignated SFW as a CBU-105, the delivery altitude increases up to 40,000 feet and standoff ranges up to 12 miles can be achieved. Use of the WCMD tail kit requires the host aircraft to be MIL-STD-1760 compliant and have the CBU-105 operational flight program software resident in the weapon's control system.

Source link:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ ... bu-105.htm

CBU-97/B SFW (Sensor Fused Weapon): 415 kg (914 lb) anti-tank cluster bomb, consisting of 10 BLU-108/B in an SUU-66/B dispenser. A BLU-108/B unit carries four independent Skeet anti-tank submunitions. After release from the dispenser, each BLU-108/B descends under a parachute to a pre-set altitude. Then a small rocket sends the BLU-108/B upwards and into a rapid spin, so that the Skeet warheads are released outwards. Each Skeet falls independently, scanning the ground with its IR sensor for the signature of a tank. When a target is detected, the Skeet detonates, firing an EFP (Explosively Formed Penetrator) directly downward, and a ring of fragments outwards (against soft targets in the vicinity). If no target is detected, the Skeet explodes immediately above the ground.

Source link:
http://www.designation-systems.net/dusrm/app5/wcmd.html

Why buy CBU-105's? Massed Greek Armor coming in to Edirne to capture the Tekirdag Tekel Factory? Or Georgians coming around the mountains on the Black Sea to capture the Hazelnut Farms of Gerisun?

I don't get why Turkey wants a weapon designed to defeat massed columns of armor. Sensor Fuzed Weapon was intended for the Fulda Gap scenario, and now has been enhanced with over-water capability.

Maybe "small swarming boats" from Kibris?

I don't want to seem like I am poking fun, but I don't understand why they would choose this weapon (based on the high cost of each of the submunitions). I can understand the "vanilla" WCMD's.....

Can someone enlighten me?

Greek Leo-2A4 and A6 are deployed in the Trace region, in addition to Leo-1 and their M-60s…

You may think that Turkey has improved relations with the neighbors but international relations are very fluid…You may be a friend today, but tomorrow is uncertain…espacially in the region, Turkey is located....

I think the answer is that Turkey is surrounded by strong tank fleets from west, east and south…and Turkey’s tank fleet is not that strong in the last 10 years compare to other neighbors in the [Link pending approval] For example, Greek Leo-2A4 and A6 are deployed in the Trace region, in addition to Leo-1 and their M-60s…We are talking about close to 500-600 tanks in that region alone…I don’t even count APCs, AFVs etc….Turkey’s current tank fleet consists of M-48s and M-60s and Leo-1, all of them are inferior to Leo-2s…In the South, Syria is also another major player in the middle east with hundreds of T-72s…In the East, Iran is coming very strong with recent updated tanks and other amour vehicles…

There are plans to replace older generation Turkish tanks but this process will take time and requires big money…Until these plans take effect(it will take years to replace older tanks), one way to counter these threats is to improve anti-tank, anti-vehicle weapons in the inventory of TuAF…Buying CBU-105s are much cheaper alternative if you look at the other options…Plus, CBU-105 gives you fast reaction time, simultaneous multiple kills…

You may think that Turkey has improved relations with the neighbors but international relations are very fluid…You may be a friend today, but tomorrow is uncertain…espacially in the region, Turkey is [Link pending approval]

There is no Leo-2A6 (the actual designation is Leo-2HEL, HEL from Hellenic) deployed in the Thrace region. There is just one Leo-2HEL here in Greece just for acceptance trials. The Greek Army General Stuff (GAGS) haven't accept the Leo-2HEL yet

Greetings,
AegeanHawk