Raytheon will build the U.S. Air Force and Navy's next generation of small diameter bomb following the award of a $450 million manufacturing contract from the Air Force on Aug. 9.
The new weapon, known as the SDB II, will debut on the Air Force's F-15E Strike Eagles and the U.S. Marine Corps' and Navy's F-35B and F-35C Joint Strike Fighters, respectively.
The bomb advances the technology in Boeing's original GPS-guided Small Diameter Bomb with a tri-mode seeker featuring millimeter-wave radar, an infrared camera and a semi-active laser, according to the company.
These new sensors will allow the 250-pound weapon to hit moving targets from standoff ranges in bad weather. While the company did not define the weapon's range, the original SDB can be launched more than 40 nautical miles away from the enemy.
Raytheon beat out original SDB-maker Boeing to build the new version of the bomb following a 42-month contest where both companies developed and tested prototype versions.
First deliveries of the SDB II are scheduled for 2013, one year ahead of the Pentagon's "required assets available date," according to a Raytheon statement announcing the award
http://defensenews.com/story.php?i=4740384&c=AME&s=AIR
.
ראשי
צ'אט
10-08-2010, 23:18
מצב כלאיים
