US Air Force F-15E jets drop StormBreaker smart bomb

News, US December 31, 2021 , by IRIA No Comments

The U.S. Air Force used four F-15E Strike Eagles from the 391st Fighter Squadron that is part of the 366th Fighter Wing, to hit four moving vehicles on the ground with Raytheon Technologies GBU-53/B StormBreakers at the Utah Test and Training Range on November 2.

“The F-15E can carry five groups of four StormBreaker smart weapons, for a total of 20 munitions. Depending on the mission, the F-15EX Strike Eagle II can carry more than 16 StormBreaker weapons,” the Raytheon release read.

The StormBreaker is capable of changing its course and hitting its targets set by the operator after the bomb is dropped. It also features several types of targeting, including infrared targeting, active radar targeting, semi-active laser targeting, and GPS inertial targeting. The StormBreaker smart weapon has a tri-mode seeker that uses imaging infrared and millimeter-wave radar to see through fog, smoke, and rain as it glides over 45 miles to strike both fixed or moving targets on land or at sea.

The Raytheon Technologies release read: “The StormBreaker smart weapon weighs just over 200 pounds, and up to 20 can fit on fighter jets like the F-15E Strike Eagle. But their warheads, equipped with shape charge jets, fragmentation and blast charge effects, and an option for a delayed smart fuze, are powerful enough to defeat tanks.”

StormBreaker program director at Raytheon Missiles and Defense, Alison Howlett said that the tests were needed to pave the way for the weapon to be used in combat.

“By stress-testing the weapon in an operational environment, we are even more confident in the weapon’s ability to strike targets in difficult conditions,” Raytheon Missiles and Defense StormBreaker program director said.

^{An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron takes off at Nellis Air Force Base carrying Small Diameter Bomb IIs to drop during the Weapon System Evaluation Program West at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. (Image Credit: William Lewis/U.S. Air Force)}

“The multi-effects warhead really separates this air-to-surface weapon from its predecessor and other munitions in its class… It’s inherent with this weapon and absolutely critical going into a more connected – JADC2 (Joint All Domain Command and Control) – battlespace environment,” Howlett said.

“It’s certainly an advanced weapon in terms of its design and development and how we’re architecting it for the future. It’s extremely capable now and we’re just getting started,” Howlett added.

To verify system performance, the team uses an integrated flight simulation, or IFS, and literally runs thousands of iterations in tandem with the Air Force using data from testing to continuously improve simulation accuracy, the company statement read.

Raytheon highlighted that one of the key benefits of the StormBreaker system is its networking capabilities. This means one platform could launch it but hand off controls to another. That will be an important capability as the U.S. military aims to connect sensors, platforms, and weapon systems across the traditional domains of land, air, sea, and space.

The program director said that “It’s certainly an advanced weapon in terms of its design and development and how we’re architecting it for the future. It’s extremely capable now and we’re just getting started.” According to Howlett, they are also using agile methods to deliver rapid capability updates through software changes. “Each aircraft has unique software, so we need to ensure we’re integrating appropriately with that software,” Howlett said.

*^{Stormbreaker mockup at Dubai Air Show 2019.}*

After reaching initial operating capability, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet would become the second fighter aircraft to add the weapon.

Raytheon Missiles & Defense is also integrating the StormBreaker on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. According to Raytheon’s release, the first-ever weapon munition drop test from an F-35 was conducted in late 2021 and to assess the communication link between the weapon and a secondary aircraft.