Brenda Marie Rivers
A Raytheon-developed seeker technology has entered the operational testing phase following completion of an operational test readiness assessment this spring.
StormBreaker, formerly called the Small Diameter Bomb II, is designed to help U.S. Air Force pilots hit moving targets from standoff ranges even in low-visibility operations, Raytheon said Monday.
Operational test flights are scheduled to begin this summer.
USAF plans to initially deploy StormBreaker on the service branch’s F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft and integrate the technology onto the Lockheed Martin-built F-35 aircraft by 2022.
The weapon can operate on an imaging infrared, a millimeter wave or a semi-active laser mode to support detection and discrimination of targets as well as tracking of airborne and ground laser designators.
