Lockheed Adds Some Israeli SPICE To Kinetics Market

[mor10]

It sure seems like that, but I think those are not really a problem. While this is probably not a VLO weapon, I doubt there is point even trying. That is Spice-2000 AFAIK, which is just an add-on kit to regular bombs like Mk84 or BLU-109. I really doubt those wings and fins are going to matter much as far as RCS is concerned. Especially since they are probably made from composites with low radar reflectivity. Besides, those probably increase RCS only directly to sides of the weapon. So enemy radar needs to look at it pretty much perpendicularly. From forward sector they don't matter much IMO. These bombkits are meant to be affordable and use existing non-stealthy bombs. Even regular bombs have fairly low RCS (although not VLO class) and can be pretty difficult to detect in time. For example F-117 used just regular bombs, not anything close to VLO. Even then there was not much of a problem engaging targets with them. Of course carrying them externally would increase F-35 RCS quite a bit, but usually these will be carried internally. Spice-250 and Spice-100 seem to be much stealthier designs as they are totally new designs AFAIK.

In my usual manner I don't fully explain my thinking, assuming others will think just like me.

These relatively large wings make it impossible to carry the device internally, so they will have to hang on the outside. That basically removes it from the list of useful weapons on the first day of the fight, or in any contested airspace.

I can see a range improvement over other smart kits though.

[vilters]

"Future first days" will be ; "Tomahawk and armed drone days".
No need to send airframes/pilots on a : "First day".

[SpudmanWP]

Dynamic battlefields in comms denied environments require real eyes and a brain.

[hornetfinn]

In my usual manner I don't fully explain my thinking, assuming others will think just like me.

These relatively large wings make it impossible to carry the device internally, so they will have to hang on the outside. That basically removes it from the list of useful weapons on the first day of the fight, or in any contested airspace.

I can see a range improvement over other smart kits though.

That might well be true. Those wings/fins are pretty large and might not fit inside weapon bays of F-35. Of course this is just one Spice variant (Spice-2000) and all other Spice variants have folding wings and more compact body to better fit inside F-35.

[marauder2048]

The "lets add a non-SAL seeker to JDAM" concept seems to be cyclical.

DAMASK had the seeker from JSOW-C. There have been HOJ and MMW seekers tested.

Though I can see why Lockheed is interested in this since it gives them something in
the direct attack market aside from Paragon which was premised on price.