SDB II Scores Hits in Flight Tests

[spazsinbad]

Raytheon’s Small Diameter Bomb II approved for production, deployment
15 May 2015 James Drew

"The Pentagon has given Milestone C approval to Raytheon’s Small Diameter Bomb II programme, moving the tri-mode seeker weapon to production and deployment with the US Air Force on the F-15E Strike Eagle....

...“The program was a Milestone B in the summer of 2010,” he says, referring to the point when a military programme enters the development and testing phase. “The goal of the cost per weapon was about $180,000. It’s coming in at about $115,000.”

The air force has already started integrating the weapon with its first aircraft, the F-15 Strike Eagle. The Navy plans to integrate it first with the F/A-18 Super Hornet and then with its threshold aircraft, the F-35C and F-35B Joint Strike Fighters....

...Boeing’s Increment 1 Small Diameter Bomb is being heavily used in the air campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the air force says. The bomb’s smaller diameter allows each fighter to carry more weapons per sortie."

Photo: http://www.flightglobal.com/assets/geta ... emid=59995

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... on-412401/

[popcorn]

Makes me curious how many dumb bombs they still purchase or if they just rely those in inventory?

[sferrin]

Makes me curious how many dumb bombs they still purchase or if they just rely those in inventory?

Dumb bombs form the core of all JDAMs. Why would you stop production? (Those things don't have an infinite shelf life and you don't want to kill already efficient production lines.)

[lookieloo]

Raytheon’s Small Diameter Bomb II approved for production, deployment

Still really disappointed that it won't fit the F-35B properly from the start. Seems development started late enough for the weapon to be designed properly instead of having to modify the plane.

[mrigdon]

Still really disappointed that it won't fit the F-35B properly from the start. Seems development started late enough for the weapon to be designed properly instead of having to modify the plane.

Given the choice between moving a couple of hoses half an inch or lopping off the back end of the missile (where the fins are), I think the program office made the right decision. At this point, there's only a few dozen F-35Bs built, versus thousands of SDBs that will be manufactured. This wouldn't be a big deal except for click bait

[lookieloo]

Still really disappointed that it won't fit the F-35B properly from the start. Seems development started late enough for the weapon to be designed properly instead of having to modify the plane.

Given the choice between moving a couple of hoses half an inch or lopping off the back end of the missile (where the fins are), I think the program office made the right decision. At this point, there's only a few dozen F-35Bs built, versus thousands of SDBs that will be manufactured. This wouldn't be a big deal except for click bait

Conversely... why modify the expensive thing that's already in-production instead of the cheap thing that ISN'T in-production yet?

[thepointblank]

Still really disappointed that it won't fit the F-35B properly from the start. Seems development started late enough for the weapon to be designed properly instead of having to modify the plane.

Given the choice between moving a couple of hoses half an inch or lopping off the back end of the missile (where the fins are), I think the program office made the right decision. At this point, there's only a few dozen F-35Bs built, versus thousands of SDBs that will be manufactured. This wouldn't be a big deal except for click bait

Conversely... why modify the expensive thing that's already in-production instead of the cheap thing that ISN'T in-production yet?

Because modifying the F-35B affects just one program, and SDB-II affects multiple programs and platforms? Imagine if they decided to modify SDB; they might have to redo weight balance, and redo integration and separation testing on other platforms.

[neptune]

[quote="lookieloo"][... At this point, there's only a few dozen F-35Bs built, ...quote]

...that is kind of the point, also "tidying up" the weapons bay allows that recovered space to be used for other systems in the future....refining/ maturing the product..

[spazsinbad]

AND for MOPping Up here is some more:

Boeing expects more Massive Ordnance Penetrator orders
18 May 2015 James Drew

"...In another development, Rub says there’s still a place for Boeing’s Small Diameter Bomb as Raytheon completes development of its Increment II system for the air force.

Raytheon’s programme received Milestone C approval from the Pentagon earlier this month, allowing the company to move forward with production and deployment on the F-15E Strike Eagle.

“We believe our distinguisher really is cost,” she says of Boeing’s SDB glide bomb. “It’s cost, it’s battle-proven, it’s ready now, there’s an active line and it can go out and do what it needs to do.

“When you look at the war that’s being fought, you really need a quick, cheap weapon that can prosecute moving targets, and that’s what Boeing can provide.”

Boeing says it has enough orders, both from the US government and its allies, to keep production going even as Raytheon’s tri-mode seeker weapon is fielded with the air force and navy."

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... rs-412453/

[spazsinbad]

Back to SDB II

World’s Most Sophisticated Bomb Ready for Production
12 Jun 2015 Chris Pocock

"...Despite the sophistication, the SDB II is “affordable,” according to Sweetman. U.S. Air Force assistant acquisition secretary Dr. William LaPlante said recently that the cost per round will be about $115,000, some $65,000 below the goal set when the SDB II entered development five years ago. Raytheon has managed its workforce well and controlled costs, he said.

The new weapon will be fielded first on U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles, where the maximum load will be 28 bombs, although 16 will be the normal loadout, all on fuselage stations. Then the U.S. Navy will add it to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The SDB II is also slated for the F-35B and F-35C versions of the Joint Strike Fighter. The smaller internal weapons bays of the F-35B can each still carry four SDB IIs, plus an AMRAAM missile. But in any case, the Lightning II will not receive the Block 4 software required to drop the SDB II until 2022.

Jeff White, Raytheon’s SDB II business development manager, told AIN that export prospects for the weapon include operators of the F-15E, and all 13 of the F-35 international countries, because it will come ready-integrated with the stealth fighter. Raytheon’s British subsidiary is pitching the SDB II as a “low-cost, low-risk” alternative to MBDA’s proposal to meet the UK’s SPEAR (Selectable Precision Effects At Range) Capability 3 requirement. There is potential for work on the SDB II worth some $500 million to be placed in the UK, including electronic subassemblies, fuses and integration onto the Eurofighter Typhoon, according to TJ Marsden, chief weapons system engineer with Raytheon UK.

Meanwhile, White told AIN that Raytheon is working on “translation software” for low-cost integration onto the F-16. That would allow European countries now flying the Fighting Falcon to start training and using the SDB II before their F-35s arrive."

Source: http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/ ... production

[bring_it_on]

[spazsinbad]

USAF awards Raytheon $31M for first small diameter bomb II buy
13 Jun 2015 James Drew

"The US Air Force has placed its first low-rate initial production order for Raytheon’s newly developed small diameter bomb II, securing the first 144 Lot 1 weapons of what is expected to be a minimum 17,000-bomb buy....

...In a June 12 contract announcement, the Pentagon says the $31 million deal with Raytheon buys 156 weapons including 144 live munitions, eight SDB II weapon load crew and munitions maintenance training rounds, four explosive ordnance disposal trainers, and product data.

The deal comes as the SDB II programme moves to into 28-shot “government confidence test” phase.

“That 28-launch programme will take us probably at least nine months, so we’re looking at third quarter of 2016 before operational testing will begin,” says SDB II program director Jim Sweetman in an interview with Flightglobal.

Raytheon is banking on carriage of the SDB II internally on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to open future international sales opportunities. Integration is currently slated for the F-35 Block 4 configuration for initial operational capability in 2022.

“Last thing I heard was Block 4.2. As we get closer, the details will have to be flushed out,” says Sweetman....

...The US government intends to buy 17,000 SDB II weapons in total – 12,000 for the air force and 5,000 for the navy. SDB II entered development in 2010 and passed its milestone C review in May.

Lot 1 is due for delivery by May 2017, at which point the company expects to start taking international orders for JSF with initial delivery in 2020 or 2021."

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articl ... ii-413470/

[spazsinbad]

Another SDB II story.

Raytheon’s SDB-II To Bridge Gap To JSF
15 Jun 2015 Angus Batey

"...“We start exporting SDB-II in Lot 4, in the 2017/18 timeframe,” says Jeff White, Raytheon's SDB-II business development leader. “We envision a healthy international market.”

The company's confidence is based on both comparative affordability – one source has quoted $115,000 per missile – and the wide range of platforms that can potentially carry it. That list begins with the F-15E, for which the Lot 1 delivery is destined, but integration on the F-35 is helping broaden integration options....

...“We're on the F-35B and C (as part of software) Block 4.2, which will reach IOC in 2022,” says Jim Sweetman, SDB-II program director. “Because of the F-35 schedule, we're also working with the U.S. Navy to integrate on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This is purely driven from a Navy perspective to get a launch platform sooner than 2022.”...

...Raytheon has also developed a software technology, called Interface Bridge, which enables SDB-II carriage on aircraft with the 1760 interface. This opens up the possibilities to integrate on F-16s, among other platforms.

“There are 13 JSF countries, four countries fly F-15E-equivalent airplanes, and we have all these F-16s around the planet,” White says. “So we've got the F-16s and we've got the Typhoons. We want to try to give our European NATO allies the same adverse-weather capability that the U.S. would have.”

Source: http://aviationweek.com/paris-air-show- ... ge-gap-jsf

[zerion]

Raytheon Considers Powered SDB for UK F-35s

http://www.defensenews.com/story/defens ... /71257746/

[sprstdlyscottsmn]

And here I thought that a powered SDB is all that Spear was.