Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

Good 'SDB testing on F-22' article.

http://www.f-16.net/news_article2225.html

Good <a href="http://www.af.mil/tv/index.asp?showid=2770">video</a> along with it also on Smile

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Can it still carry 2 AMRAAMs while carrying 8 SDB?

Yes, they are shorter than 120's and so you can arrange 2 SDB in the place of a slammer.
But i have some reserve about their effective capacity to destroy target with some degree of armor Rolling Eyes

Still nothing from its first combat use in the desert this last rotation. What gives i wonder.

Neno wrote:

Yes, they are shorter than 120's and so you can arrange 2 SDB in the place of a slammer.
But i have some reserve about their effective capacity to destroy target with some degree of armor Rolling Eyes

Uh? The GBU-39 is designed to penetrate hardened targets, so you can assume it has sufficient case hardening and is structurally “stout”. While ‘39s aren’t really intended for dealing with heavy armored vehicles (tanks), look at it this way. Even if it impacts subsonically, say 560kts, the GBU-39 has about 23 times the kinetic energy that the latest Army round does, the M829A3. It’d blow the bejesus out of any vehicle it hits. At the very least knock it out.

BDF

Video on the USAF home page shows the SDB going through a hardened acft shelter. It has enough punch.

It's sold as having similar penetration as the BLU-109.

Neno wrote:

Yes, they are shorter than 120's and so you can arrange 2 SDB in the place of a slammer.
But i have some reserve about their effective capacity to destroy target with some degree of armor Rolling Eyes

As mentioned, check out that video taking out the aircraft with the concrete overhead. If you're still not convinced, I bet you won't be able to get anyone sane in a heavily armored vehicle and see what would happen if an SDB hits it from the top.

While not designed to have the overall destructive force of a 1,000-2,000lb class weapon (never was the intention), it's ability to damage, destroy or render useless at least 90% of battlefield targets is impressive.

Last edited by Roscoe on Mar 10, 2007 - 12:46 AM; edited 1 time in total

elp wrote:

It's sold as having similar penetration as the BLU-109.

Find that hard to believe (I was one of the original test engineers on the BLU-109). the BLU-109 weighs eight times as much...that kind of inertia is hard to stop.

Neno wrote:

Yes, they are shorter than 120's and so you can arrange 2 SDB in the place of a slammer.
But i have some reserve about their effective capacity to destroy target with some degree of armor Rolling Eyes

Actually, two SDBs in tandem is a little bit longer than a single AMRAAM.

The AMRAAM is 3.66m in length. The GBU-39 is 1.8 m in length, but when carried on the BRU-61/A rack (the one used) the clearances between the front and rear weapons creates a total length of about 3.8 m. That barely fits the F-22 bay length wise. However, the contraption is only about 18.5" wide, significantly narrower than a pair of AMRAAMs in staggered carry which is about 23" wide. Or about 20" if you don't count the fins that overlap the third AMRAAM. Hence there is actually more shoulder room to spare.

Roscoe wrote:

elp wrote:

It's sold as having similar penetration as the BLU-109.

Find that hard to beleive (I was one of the original test engineers on the BLU-109). the BLU-109 weighs eight times as much...that kind of inertia is hard to stop.

That was how SDB was sold. Laughing

And while I don't have anything in front of me, I believe they used the word; "similar" or some such thing.

Roscoe wrote:

elp wrote:

It's sold as having similar penetration as the BLU-109.

Find that hard to believe (I was one of the original test engineers on the BLU-109). the BLU-109 weighs eight times as much...that kind of inertia is hard to stop.

Yeah but doesn't crossectional density come into play? Else how could a 10lb KE dart penetrate several feet of RHA? (Yeah I know speed is a factor too).

Here is a good overview with photos at the bottom.

http://www.ausairpower.net/APA-SDB.html

Quote:

But i have some reserve about their effective capacity to destroy target with some degree of armor

SDB-I (GBU-39) is GPS guided - it's not designed to hit stuff like tanks. unless they are stationery and have been sitting in the same place for a long time. The "kill chain" is to long to reliablby attack targets like that.

PS> I think if it did hit one, a GBU-39 would knock the hell out of it.

Rocky

A JTAC might be able to talk one in quickly to a vehicle or tank that is sitting. Especailly given that some of the more hillbilly users of tanks even dig the damn things in and let them sit like pillboxes. Laughing

Of course when SDBII is fielded someday (assuming dad doesn't cut off our allowance Laughing

) then SDB looks even better.

Forum: General F-22A Raptor forum

SDB testing in full swing