{"id":23957,"date":"2024-07-30T07:27:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T04:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=23957"},"modified":"2024-07-30T23:36:30","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T20:36:30","slug":"us-approves-115-million-sale-of-small-diameter-stormbreaker-bombs-to-belgium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-approves-115-million-sale-of-small-diameter-stormbreaker-bombs-to-belgium\/","title":{"rendered":"US approves $115 million sale of Small Diameter StormBreaker Bombs to Belgium"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The U.S. State Department has greenlighted a potential $115 million military sale to Belgium involving Small Diameter Bomb-Increment IIs (SDB-II), also known as GBU-53\/B StormBreakers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The potential sale agreement encompasses 196 SDB-II all-up rounds along with essential training, maintenance, and logistical support. This deal is set to bolster Belgium\u2019s defense capabilities by arming its newly acquired fleet of 34 F-35 fighter jets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) emphasized the strategic importance of this sale, stating, \u201cThe proposed sale will improve Belgium\u2019s capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining its F-35 fleet in combat-ready status and providing a credible deterrent to regional threats.\u201d By equipping its F-35s with these advanced munitions, Belgium aims to enhance its deterrence and operational readiness in the face of evolving security challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, has been identified as the principal contractor for this transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SDB-II is an advanced air-to-ground glide weapon, equipped with a tri-mode seeker that includes millimeter wave radar, imaging infrared, and semi-active laser guidance systems. This sophisticated technology allows the weapon to effectively engage both moving and stationary targets under adverse weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RTX, the developer of the SDB-II, elaborates on its capabilities: \u201cMillimeter wave radar detects and tracks target through adverse weather while imaging infrared provides enhanced target discrimination. The semi-active laser enables the weapon to track an airborne laser designator or one on the ground.\u201d These features ensure the SDB-II can perform precise strikes regardless of environmental conditions, offering a significant advantage in various combat scenarios.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Raytheon<\/a>
Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s StormBreaker bomb. (Image Credit: Raytheon)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The StormBreaker is designed with a 47.6-kilogram multimode-shaped blast\/fragmentation warhead, which autonomously prioritizes targets to maximize impact. The weapon utilizes a Global Positioning\/Inertial Navigation System (GPS\/INS) for accurate guidance and boasts a strike range of 45 miles (72 kilometers). This capability allows the F-35s to engage targets from a considerable distance, enhancing their operational flexibility and survivability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of performance, the SDB-II has demonstrated exceptional reliability and effectiveness. During recent F-35C Lightning II fighter jet test launches, the weapon achieved a 100 percent success rate, successfully hitting 14 out of 14 designated targets. This impressive track record underscores the weapon\u2019s precision and reliability, reinforcing its value to Belgium\u2019s defense strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The acquisition of the SDB-II by Belgium marks a significant step in its efforts to modernize its military capabilities. Integrating these advanced munitions with the F-35 fleet is expected to enhance Belgium\u2019s ability to conduct precise and effective air-to-ground operations, strengthening its overall defense posture. This move aligns with Belgium\u2019s broader strategy to address current and future threats through advanced technology and robust military preparedness.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
U.S. Navy conducted the first weapon drop of a Raytheon StormBreaker smart weapon from a Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II. (Image Credit: Raytheon Missiles & Defense)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. State Department has greenlighted a potential $115 million military sale to Belgium involving Small Diameter Bomb-Increment IIs (SDB-II), also known as GBU-53\/B StormBreakers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[62,1,125],"tags":[265,6,357,5,31,399,721,698,7,63],"class_list":["post-23957","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","category-united-states","tag-belgium","tag-defense","tag-europe","tag-military","tag-missile","tag-raytheon","tag-rtx","tag-stormbreaker","tag-u-s","tag-weapons"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Small-Diameter-StormBreaker-Bomb.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-6ep","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23957","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23957"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23965,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23957\/revisions\/23965"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}