SDB Is Operational, Early

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Air Combat Command has declared initial operational capability six months earlier than anticipated for Boeing’s Small Diameter Bomb. Gen. Ronald Keys, ACC boss, said the 250-pound autonomous GBU-39B reached IOC on Oct. 2. It has been deployed to Southwest Asia with elements of the 48th Fighter Wing from RAF Lakenheath, England. The SDB gives the Air Force a “very precise coordinate seeking weapon,” carrying minimal explosive material needed to destroy a target, in a small, lightweight package that lets aircraft “service more targets on a single pass,” says Lt. Col. Mark Pierce, with ACC’s advanced weapons requirements branch. ACC plans to integrate the SDB with the F-16, F-22A, F-35, B-1B, B-2, and possibly the B-52.

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org