The Marine Corps recently conducted its first-ever “ripple” release of eight Small Diameter Bomb IIs from an F-35B, a key early step in proving out the capability for all F-35 variants.
Munitions
The Air Force’s B-52 bomber may soon be able to carry up to 20 stealthy long-range anti-ship missiles to strike moving targets at sea, a key capability in a potential fight with China.
The U.S. Air Force has conducted the first flight test release of its developing hypersonic cruise missile, with that test taking place in Australia.
The Pentagon on Sept. 28 announced a contract potentially worth $20.7 billion for RTX to build Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles used by Navy and Air Force aircraft and for ground-based interceptors.
The Anduril-built Barracuda cruise missile recently received certification as the Air Force’s first large-scale production munition compliant with open systems architecture.
One of the Air Force and Navy’s most common air-to-air missiles is falling short of a key readiness metric, and the services are ramping up stocks of a vital air-to-ground missile, according to recent Pentagon reports.
A new think tank report calls for a buildup of U.S. drones and munitions needed for a potential fight against the Chinese military over Taiwan, thought other experts argue the report is missing some nuance in the munitions equation.
As the threat of Iranian-made drones grew, the Air Force rushed last year to equip F-15E Strike Eagles in the Middle East with a cheap, cost-effective way of defeating them. The service fielded the new capability in roughly a week.
The Pentagon announced a deal with Lockheed Martin on Sept. 17 to expand production of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, an advanced new Air Force and Navy air-to-air missile meant to equip fifth- and sixth-generation fighters.