Tucson-based Raytheon Missile Systems has completed its first flight test of the Small Diameter Bomb II since winning a U.S. Air Force contract to develop the weapon last year, the company announced at the Paris Air Show.
During the test earlier this year using a control test vehicle, a U.S. Air Force F-15E released an SDB II in flight. After safely separating from the aircraft, the weapon deployed its wings and performed a series of preprogrammed maneuvers, meeting all test objectives, Raytheon said.
The Air Force awarded Raytheon the contract to make the next-generation small guided bomb last August. The contract was worth $450 million initially and potentially billions of dollars over the program's life. Raytheon's GBU-53/B design for the Small Diameter Bomb II program was picked over a competing design by a team made up of Boeing Co. — prime contractor for the first-generation Small Diameter Bomb — and Lockheed Martin.
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The SDB II uses an improved seeker that features three modes of operation: millimeter-wave radar, uncooled imaging infrared and semiactive laser. The uncooled seeker reduces the total lifetime cost of the weapon and improves reliability by reducing its part count, Raytheon said.
The International Paris Air Show-Le Bourget started today and will run through Sunday at Le Bourget exhibition center.
Check out tomorrow’s Arizona Daily Star for more on Raytheon’s activities at the Paris Air Show.