SDB II Scores Hits in Flight Tests

[sferrin]

Sounds more like DMS (diminishing manufacturing sources) than obsolescence.

"What do you mean we can't buy Chinese chips anymore?"

[marauder2048]

Production of one of the F-35′s most anticipated bombs has been on hold for almost a year [read at URL best]
12 Jun 2020 Valerie Insinna

... Although the weapon has not even been officially fielded, some components are already becoming obsolete. A Raytheon subcontractor that makes circuit cards used in the guidance system is expected to stop producing those components years sooner than anticipated. As a result, that the Defense Department may have to order all circuit cards needed for the program of record before December, according to the GAO ....

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/air/2020/06 ... st-a-year/

A different metallurgical brew is probably all the re-design needed.

But a company that stops making a profitable card for a new front-line battle weapon in high demand, in a time of rising geopolitical tension, territorial dispute, ideological polarization and rising customer mil budgets and a focus on strike and attack weapons? This sounds like a subcontractor with accounting and management problems that go well beyond technical obsolescence. Is SDBII obsolete? It's an affordable new leading-edge weapon.

/BS

Is there evidence that the SDB II has been profitable for Raytheon? They've blown through the fixed price contracts
on the procurement side; lower-tier suppliers get paid last and may not be able or willing to help with the
overruns.

In any event, lifetime buys are quite common.

[quicksilver]

“Is there evidence that the SDB II has been profitable for Raytheon?”

x2

The appearance would actually be to the contrary.

[boogieman]

The GBAD removal service has arrived:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1297224445963141130

https://twitter.com/i/status/1297235916474417154

[mixelflick]

HItting moving targets at up to 45 miles away? I'm assuming that's a supersonic release from a Raptor flying way high, but nonetheless impressive.

I can't even imagine being targeted by this thing. Multiple SDB's probably coming from all different directions, gliding silently until impact. And bomb trucks like the F-15E and probably F-15EX are going to carry beacoup rounds, enough to stop several naval divisions. I don't even wanna know how many a B-1B, B-2 or B-21 can carry. Unless they're targeting the Chinese or Russian mainland, they must run out of targets fast..

[zerion]

Video: B-1B capable of launching 96 SDBs in under 50 seconds.

https://twitter.com/lfx160219/status/13 ... 3943672832

[wrightwing]

HItting moving targets at up to 45 miles away? I'm assuming that's a supersonic release from a Raptor flying way high, but nonetheless impressive.

I can't even imagine being targeted by this thing. Multiple SDB's probably coming from all different directions, gliding silently until impact. And bomb trucks like the F-15E and probably F-15EX are going to carry beacoup rounds, enough to stop several naval divisions. I don't even wanna know how many a B-1B, B-2 or B-21 can carry. Unless they're targeting the Chinese or Russian mainland, they must run out of targets fast..

The Raptor doesn't currently carry the SDB II. The 45 mile range is likely with a M.8 to M.9 launch at 35 to 40k. That's also probably a conservative figure.

[f35phixer]

SDBII is a mission planning NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Real PIA to deal with....

[quicksilver]

And this is because...?

Perhaps because it introduces new capabilities that require you (and your team) to learn new things and, in short, the be better than you were before?

Get busy with making it work, and get involved in the feedback loop of people who can make the improvements necessary to make it more user-friendly.

[aussiebloke]

And this is because...?

This might be the problem or at least part of it:

Mission planning is also a significant challenge, with average planning times of over 50 minutes per weapon (the threshold time is 5 minutes per weapon). Much of this is related to a time intensive, error prone cryptographic data entry process, and a poor exclusion zone creation process.

Page 204 of
https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub ... UJoA%3d%3d

[quicksilver]

Sounds like there wasn’t enough user participation in the dev of the weapon.

I am reminded of a similar comment I made to a colleague some (many) years ago re: getting user inputs. His response was that ‘they’ (the users) ‘...would only screw up a perfectly good design.’

Such is the constructive friction in aircraft/weapons systems development. Often, what makes perfect sense to one, is dreadfully deficient to another.

Hmmm, carry 6 SDBIIs and have how much planning time? That’s a wtfo, but ya still gotta make it work.

[element1loop]

These weapons in that August twitter video aren't coming from long-standoff releases either. I viewed the terminal flight in slomo and the first comes down fastest and steepest (almost too fast to see), while the 8th weapon came down by far the slowest and easiest to see. The sixth weapon detonation was difficult to see as it landed right behind the LOS to the fifth weapon detonation, and the 6th weapon arrival came in right behind the 5th weapon almost immediately, so that detonation is obscured by the 5th.

The 8th weapon is by far the most interesting, as it flew much slower and looked larger on the sky, presumably because the wings were fully extended and had more drag. The first seven weapons all looked smaller as they fell, presumably with their wings still folded, and just using the large rear fins at high speed for homing.

There was also no shock or flash and frag apparent from the 8th weapon. The first 7 weapons arrived inside about 5 seconds, while the 8th arrived about 3 to 4 seconds after the rest. So was this 8th weapon an EW version which flew slower behind them to aid the first 7? It looked to be so.

The interesting point is F-35 can use very short standoff to strike with weapons moving almost in free-fall at transonic, or even initial supersonic speed for a much shorter period in the air, less warning, reaction or intercept time available to a defender. No leisurely 'gliding' phase in this, the test was to hit with the maximum speed and time-compression, to not give a defender any chance.

By flying behind the others the 8th SDBII is the least likely to be locked and targeted by terminal defenses so any speculated EW support from it would last the longest plus be the hardest to lock-on to or hit.

F-15E or F-16 couldn't get away with doing this with SDBII, they would be forced to use its standoff and glide them in much slower from a lot further out. F-35 is certainly the machine to have for ripping an enemy apart in the shortest possible time frame with the least standoff required to survive.

[F-35 supersonic at 50k ft releases JSM to power-dive from 20 km ground-track to target. Good luck against a VLO missile moving 3 times faster than SDBII. Same blast-frag as NSM, with fuel still present for added FAE effects. The lower need for standoff will make its weapons more effective than other strikefighters using the same weapons.]

[f35phixer]

And this is because...?

Perhaps because it introduces new capabilities that require you (and your team) to learn new things and, in short, the be better than you were before?

Get busy with making it work, and get involved in the feedback loop of people who can make the improvements necessary to make it more user-friendly.

feedback falls on DEAF EARS!!! DR process is painful too. No need to get busy , i'm outs that business....!!!!!

[spazsinbad]

F-35B releases StormBreaker smart weapon in first-ever munition drop
29 Nov 2021 Naval News Staff

"Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business, and the U.S. Navy conducted the first-ever weapon drop of a StormBreaker® smart weapon from a Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II. Test also demonstrated network capabilities between F-35B and F/A-18.

During the test, an F-35B naval aviator used the network-enabled weapon as a guided munition, following the same method one would use in combat, from mission planning to release....

...After the F-35B released the weapon, a nearby F/A-18F Super Hornet monitored fly-out of the weapon over a common network. The Super Hornet continued monitoring of the weapon until successful impact, demonstrating successful network connectivity capability. StormBreaker and the F-35B will continue developmental then operational testing to prove out safety and capability...."

Source: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/20 ... tion-drop/

[Lizzard]

My son who starts the FRS for the F35 C soon when shown this weapon said "Holly s*&%" we can hit a lot of tanks. Can we hit ships?".

Not sure he has any preconceived planning constraints. Or put another way, ignorance is bliss. LOL.