Raytheon announced Wednesday that it has completed a series of captive-carry flight tests of the bomb design that it is offering to the Air Force in the small diameter bomb increment II competition. The company said these tests, which took place at Eglin AFB, Fla., using both an Air Force F-15E and an Army UH-1 helicopter as test platforms, showed that the bomb’s form-factored, tri-mode seeker is “ready for guided test shots.” Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon’s air warfare systems’ product line, said the company has now proved “the technical readiness of a superior and affordable solution.” Using the UH-1 allowed engineers to thoroughly evaluate the bomb’s terminal approach to targets, something that is not practical with fighter aircraft test platforms, the company said. Raytheon is vying against a Lockheed Martin-Boeing team to win the rights to supply SDB II, which the Air Force wants to field around 2014. SDB II is being designed to engage moving targets in all weather conditions as well as stationary objects.
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…