Brenda Marie Rivers
The U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command and the U.S. Special Operations Command have completed initial tests of a Dynetics-developed small glide munition equipped with Raytheon's X-Net radio technology.
Flight tests for the Block I GBU-69/B SGM commenced last month and sought to demonstrate the munition’s ability to transmit critical flight mode, velocity, position and arming status data to a launch platform, Dynetics said Thursday.
Other testing activities included transmission of an in-flight command meant to obstruct munition arming as well as target coordinates to the SGM via datalink in order to redirect the weapon to a secondary target.
Dynetics and Raytheon formed a partnership two years ago to integrate the latter’s radio technology designed to deliver in-flight target updates and receive telemetry data to support analysis of weapon and post-mission performance.Â
The two-way datalink allows the SGM to coordinate operations with a network of tactical air controllers and airborne platforms.
SGM was built through a collaboration between Dynetics and USSOCOM’s Program Executive Office-Fixed Wing. The munition reached an operational status in 2017.
