Raythe
on announced Tuesday that it has conducted the first control test vehicle flight of its GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II design during a test at Eglin AFB, Fla. An Air Force F-15E released the GBU-53/B in flight. After safely separating from the aircraft, the weapon deployed its wings, performed a series of preprogrammed maneuvers, and flew to a pre-designated position, thereby meeting all of its primary test objectives, the company said. Raytheon is competing against a Lockheed Martin-Boeing team for the rights to supply SDB II to the Air Force and Navy under a USAF-led acquisition program. The new weapon is being designed to attack moving targets precisely in all types of weather conditions. It will build upon the ability of the Boeing-built SDB I to strike fixed and stationary objects. The Air Force expects to field SDB II around 2014, initially on the F-15E, which already carries SDB Is, and then on the F-35 and numerous other platforms. For example, it will be an important arrow in the B-2’s quiver.
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…