Raytheon and the US Air Force (USAF) have successfully completed the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) Milestone C decision briefing, allowing the programme to enter low rate initial production.
SDB II comes with tri-mode seeker that operates in three different modes, such as millimetre-wave radar, uncooled imaging infrared, and semi-active laser.
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This new bomb is an all-weather solution that is capable of delivering precision, even in limited visibility scenarios.
USAF SDB II programme manager colonel Kevin Hickman said: "The Milestone C decision enables us to begin putting this game-changing capability into the warfighters’ hands.
"The ability to strike moving targets with extreme precision in adverse weather reduces an aircrew’s time in harm’s way and limits collateral damage in the battlespace."
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This new bomb is an all-weather solution that is capable of delivering precision, even in limited visibility scenarios.
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By GlobalDataSDB II will have capability to strike targets from a range of more than 40nm, Raytheon said.
With the support of a dynamic warhead, SDB II will be able to destroy both soft and hard targets and in addition, it can change targets in-flight through the use of a secure datalink.
The new development comes after a successful functional configuration audit, production readiness review and system verification review.
The US Department of Defense has invested more than $700m in the SDB II programme and Milestone C enables a positive acquisition decision memorandum that allows the weapon system to continue to production.
Raytheon Missile Systems SDB II programme director Jim Sweetman said: "Achieving Milestone C marks the hard work of the US Government and Raytheon teams to verify that we meet or exceed the requirements necessary for a Lot 1 production decision."
Image: The SDB II offers warfighters the flexibility to change targets after release through a secure datalink that passes in-flight updates to the weapon. Photo: courtesy of Raytheon Company.
