Are they supposed to "sink" land ships like in Mortal Engines?
Posted on 06/16/2023 7:36:42 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A recent live-fire test saw an F-15E Strike Eagle destroy a “full-scale surface vessel” in the Gulf of Mexico with a new, experimental anti-ship munition—a unique foray into anti-ship warfare.
The test, carried out by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), demonstrated the feasibility of using a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) as a low-cost solution to quickly get mass into the fight against ships. The Air Force has dubbed its effort QUICKSINK, a nod to the modified JDAM’s role against ships and the rapidity with which the Air Force would like to validate this munition.
“QUICKSINK is an answer to an urgent need to neutralize maritime threats to freedom around the world,” said Col. Tony Meeks, director of the AFRL's Munitions Directorate, said in a statement covering the test. “The men and women of this directorate consistently find ways to solve our nation’s greatest challenges.”
QUICKSINK’s JDAM is essentially a 2,000-pound unguided bomb, modified with a bolt-on precision guidance kit for an anti-ship role. For that role, the weapon features a tail section with four control surfaces as well as a guidance unit. In the past, other munitions, such as torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, have been favored to take out enemy ships. Though now, QUICKSINK’s modified JDAM munition could offer commanders greater ordnance flexibility.
“Heavy-weight torpedoes are effective [at sinking large ships] but are expensive and employed by a small portion of naval assets,” said Maj. Andrew Swanson. “With QUICKSINK, we have demonstrated a low-cost and more agile solution that has the potential to be employed by the majority of Air Force combat aircraft, providing combatant commanders and warfighters with more options,” Major Swanson explained.
The AFRL program member explained that U.S. Navy submarines, the wolves of the ocean, pose a considerable threat to surface vessels. Still, submarines are costly, as are their anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. “A Navy submarine has the ability to launch and destroy a ship with a single torpedo at any time, but the QUICKSINK JCTD aims to develop a low-cost method of achieving torpedo-like kills from the air at a much higher rate and over a much larger area,” said Kirk Herzog, AFRL program manager.
“The development of this technology is critical to maintaining U.S. technological superiority and addressing defined national security challenges,” said Gerry Tighe, OUSD(R&E) oversight executive for the JCTD. “This successful demonstration represents an important milestone.”
I’m going to miss the carriers.
Pirate boat killers
Like the bad guys won’t have this technology? Soon, our whole military will be a relic and rendered mostly useless. Near future technology will mean we wasted trillions in outdated equipment.
They could just zap them with satellite weapons or HAARP, but then they’d out their advanced tech that they only use for things like earthquakes and fires, so look over there, not at home. It’s all a distraction from the global war on the “peasants.”
Oh goody, I can hardly wait. Let’s git it on and do some killin’s. /s
I guess bunker busters are good for busting something other than bunkers.
A GPS bomb for a moving and maneuvering target, to try to have the USAF spread like a melanoma into Navy territory.
The navy should be the lead here, they have forgotten more about sinking ships than the USAF will ever know. And I’d like to know how pens and where this best fleet is that is inaccessible to the Navy to control.
This sounds like a defense industry marketing driven program.
QUICKSINK “can be employed by the majority of Air Force combat aircraft.”
What does the Navy think about calling Air Force jets to sink an enemy ship? Do they get along enough to do that?
They do have tons of new powerful technology. It's just that we usually don't brag about ours as much as they brag about theirs.
Who owns this huge fleet that is inaccessible to navy assets
I think you forgot the /s.
Sounds like the Fritz X.
New and Improved!
How far away from the target can this thing be launched?
Are they supposed to "sink" land ships like in Mortal Engines?
I just don’t trust the lying new woke generals with an amazing record of failure to do what is needed to counter the emerging technology.
RE: How far away from the target can this thing be launched?
SOURCE:
[EXCERPT]
With a set of modifications, the discharge range of the BLU-117, which becomes GBU-31, increases to 28 km with a circular probable deviation of only 11 meters.
________________________________
That’s about 17 to 18 miles.
The navy should be the lead here, they have forgotten more about sinking ships than the USAF will ever know.
= = =
Yes.
It was in 2011 when the Air Force used an A-10 to sink two Libyan ships. A Navy P-3C patrol aircraft disabled one ship with a Maverick missile while the A-10 strafed the other two with the 30mm cannon.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/a-10attackslibyanships/
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