Raytheon [RTN] and the Air Force successfully completed two Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) test flights recently that the company said demonstrated the weapon’s ability to detect, track and destroy moving targets.
The all-up round live fire flight tests, which Raytheon spokeswoman Ashley Mehl said took place in September and February, are the final flight events required prior to Milestone C and the start of low-rate initial production (LRIP), according to a company statement. Live warheads replaced telemetry payloads and completed the end-to-end tactical configuration that will be delivered to the Air Force and Navy.
Mehl said each of the tests included one tactical weapon with live ordnance launched from a F-15E. The armored targets, she said, were between four-to-five miles from the launch aircraft and were traveling at speeds which are consistent with how they would operate tactically. Mehl said the specific results of the weapon’s impacts on the targets are under analysis.
SDB II will continue to execute guided test vehicle (GTV) and live fire flight tests in the coming months, even as the program enters LRIP. Mehl said these upcoming flight tests are subject to the Defense Department scheduling range times. The two previous all-up round live fire tests took place at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Raytheon, Mehl said, expects “several more” guided test vehicle (GTV) and live fire tests in the next six months.
Mehl said Raytheon is under contract for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) with five options for production. The first of these options will be awarded after a successful Milestone C decision, she said, which is scheduled for May, two months later than previously scheduled. Mehl also said Raytheon is scheduled to complete a SDB II system verification review (SVR) in April. SVR is a requirement for Raytheon being approved for Milestone C.
Raytheon, the Air Force and the Navy last summer began SDB II integration activities on the F-35, the F/A-18E/F and F-16. The company said preliminary SDB II fit checks and pit testing had been completed on the F-35, supporting the Joint strike Fighter’s (JSF) ability to carry eight SDB IIs internally (Defense Daily, Aug. 21).
Raytheon said SDB II can engage fixed, relocatable or moving targets at any time of day and in adverse weather conditions. The company said SDB II can strike targets from a range of more than 40 nautical miles with a dynamic warhead that can destroy both soft and armored targets while keeping collateral damage to a minimum through a small explosive footprint. SDB II offers warfighters the flexibility to change targets through a secure datalink that passes in-flight updates to the weapon, according to Raytheon.