WORLD: Weapons: Sentinel 37% Over Cost; USAF orders 1,500 SDBs; WC-135 Nuke Sniffer Upgrade.
Stormbreaker
The Air Force is buying more than 1,500 GBU-53/B StormBreaker Small Diameter Bomb IIs for itself, the Navy, and FMS customers.
The UPL, which was obtained by Air Force Magazine but not released by the department, lists eight priorities the service wants but couldn’t afford in its 2023 budget request, released in late March. The F-35 is fifth on that list.
The Air Force is boosting its munitions buy in fiscal 2023, marking another modest step in the migration away from direct-attack munitions with priority going to standoff capability, such as the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile-Extended Range series and its variant, the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile.
The F-15E Strike Eagle can now carry the Small Diameter Bomb II in combat, after software faults and other problems repeatedly delayed the program for years. Air Combat Command approved Raytheon Technologies’ air-launched, precision-guided munition, also known as StormBreaker, for use on Sept. 23. The F-15E ...
Production surge slows as Air Force nears weapons goal.
