Raytheon 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.
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.