SDBs Operational on F-15s

[Kirkhill]

http://www.defense-aerospace.com/cgi-bin/client/modele.pl?session=dae.16882086.1133972074.Q5cKasOa9dUAAFC2ZcA&modele=jdc_34

This article talks about an F15 squadron in the UK having completed a Operational Training Mission where  a 4-Ship flight of F15s dropped 16 SDBs on 16 targets in one pass and achieved 16 hits.  The unit CO said that in Desert Storm it required one aircraft 6 bombs to defeat a single target.

Extrapolating from this and assuming they only mounted a single rack of 4 SDBs on each aircraft, that a rack of 4 SDBs can be carried in place of a single conventional bomb and that each aircraft could carry six conventional bombs then that 4 ship could have carried up to 96 SDBs and engaged 96 separate targets on a single sortie.

Moreover; those rounds can be targeted in flight, not preplanned on the ground; they can be dropped from up to 65 nm away by some accounts creating a swath of about 100 km on each side of the flight path in which targets can be engaged; the stand-off distance equates to protection for the aircraft; the stand-off distance means not having to approach the enemy as closely so being able to engage the enemy sooner meaning shorter flight times and turn-around times.  In addition the lighter rounds mean easier ground handling and faster turn around times.

All in all it seems to mean fewer aircraft, more enemy engagements, safer sorties and less time for the enemy to manoeuvre.

Interesting - and compatible with CF-18s and potentially CP-140s.

 

[aesop081]

and potentially CP-140s.

We have enough problems right now.......

 

[Kirkhill]

We have enough problems right now.......

.......always looking to keep people employed  ;D

 

[DBA]

Good information on the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb from the Global Security website. It's further development of GPS guided bombs into smaller sizes with backup inertial guidance (and in another model a seeker head) with longer standoff ranges.

 

[Kirkhill]

60 nautical mile stand-off (100 km) and 4 per hard-point (up to 20? per CF-18?)

Boeing Supports Initial Operational Capability of Small Diameter Bomb on F-15E Strike Eagles
 
 
(Source: Boeing Co.; issued Sept. 26, 2006)
 
 
 

The Small Diameter Bomb developed by Boeing has achieved Initial Operational Capability with the US Air Force. (Boeing photo)ST. LOUIS --- Boeing has met the necessary U.S. Air Force requirement to support Initial Operational Capability (IOC) of the Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB I) system, which recently served with a squadron of Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles stationed at Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath, England. 

Boeing met the requirement, called Required Assets Available, on Aug. 28, allowing the program to proceed with its IOC. 

"The SDB team demonstrated a record-breaking commitment to meeting the August date, which we set back in 2001," said Boeing SDB Program Manager Dan Jaspering. "We are pleased to provide SDB to the Air Force on cost and on schedule." 

Joe Hoerter, Boeing F-15 vice president, said, "The F-15E already was the world's most capable multi-role fighter, and now, with this great weapon system, Boeing has made it even better." 

The SDB I weapon system, which includes a four-bomb capacity carriage, is the first of a new generation of weapons whose small size and robust performance greatly increase mission capability. 

Lt. Col. Will Reese, commander of the 494th Fighter Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, called the SDB I "a great weapon of choice," and he recognized Boeing's work to integrate the capability with the F-15E. 

Col. Richard Justice, 918th Armament Systems Group commander and SDB program manager at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., also applauded the teams' work, saying, "'Ahead of schedule, under cost, exceeds requirements, suitable, effective and mission capable' are a string of words, to my knowledge, never before associated with an Air Force Acquisition Category 1D program. This program is truly one of the most remarkable successes in Air Force acquisition history." 

An all-weather, 250-pound class weapon system, SDB I quadruples the number of weapons each aircraft can carry. At 71 inches long and with a standoff range of 60 nautical miles, the weapon is compatible with every U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft. Boeing will manufacture more than 24,000 such weapons and 2,000 carriages for the Air Force. The Air Force is investing $1.2 billion for production, with deliveries planned beyond 2015. 

The F-15E has two Pratt & Whitney F100-P&W-229 engines, each generating 29,000 pounds of thrust, allowing the aircraft to reach speeds exceeding twice the speed of sound. The F-15E can carry up to 23,000 pounds of payload, including air-to-ground weapons such as the Joint Direct Attack Munition, SDB and AGM-130 and air-to-air weapons such as the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile and Sidewinder. 


A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.8 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer; a foremost developer of advanced concepts and technologies; a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services. 

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