Article Posted on : - Sep 05, 2014

Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II). Photo: Raytheon.

TUCSON, ARIZONA (BNS): Raytheon Company and the US Air Force completed three successful Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) Guided Test Vehicle (GTV) flights against stationary and moving targets, resulting in direct hits.

The flight tests are the last GTVs required prior to Milestone C and the start of low-rate initial production.

"These guided tests were successfully accomplished against separate targets in both moving and static scenarios that included both wheeled and tracked vehicles," John O'Brien, Raytheon SDB II programme director, was quoted as saying in the company news release.

During the test, SDB II's tri-mode seeker used sensor data to determine whether the vehicle was wheeled or tracked, aiding in target identification and prioritisation. Upcoming live-fire shots will further demonstrate the end-to-end capability of SDB II and its readiness to enter production.

Two live fire tests are scheduled to be completed in the coming weeks, which will utilise live warheads and fuses on the SDB II against tactically representative targets, the release added.

SDB II can strike targets from a range of more than 40 nautical miles, with a dynamic warhead that can destroy both soft and armoured targets, while keeping collateral damage to a minimum through a small explosive footprint.

The US DoD has validated SDB II as a weapon that meets a critical warfighter need and has invested more than $700 million in the SDB II programme.