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It was always something of a mystery why the U.S. Air Force developed the 285 pound (129 kg) Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). The official story was that this GPS guided smart bomb was needed for urban warfare. The smaller blast (17kg/38 pounds of explosives, compared to 127 kg/280 pounds for the 500 pound bomb) from the SDB resulted in fewer civilian casualties. Friendly troops can be closer to the target when an SDB explodes. While the 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs have a spectacular effect when they go off, they are often overkill. The troops on the ground would...

ST. LOUIS, August 26, 2005 – Four Boeing [NYSE:BA] Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) were released on Aug. 25 from two separate carriages on a U.S. Air Force F-15E, testing the full capabilities of the SDB guided-weapon system. The test at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was conducted at an altitude of 15,000 feet, approximately 20 nautical miles from four separate targets. After receiving target coordinates, the F-15E crew released the four bombs from two separate BRU-61 carriages. "Being able to hit more targets with fewer sorties is what the SDB was designed to do," said Boeing Weapons Enterprise Capability Center...

ST. LOUIS, July 27, 2005 – Two Boeing [NYSE:BA] Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) were dropped recently from the same aircraft, scoring direct hits on two separate targets. The test on July 26 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. was from an altitude of 15,000 feet. Released from a U.S. Air Force F-15E at Mach 0.95, each weapon performed a planned one hundred degree heading change, traveled approximately 18 miles across the range from the release point and attacked independent targets spaced 30 feet apart. "These were our 25 th and 26 th successful weapon flights and two of the more...

ST. LOUIS, June 1, 2005 – In the first of two flight tests this month, a Boeing [NYSE:BA] Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) flew more than 55 miles from an altitude of 30,000 feet, hitting within 34 inches of its planned impact point on a target barge in the Gulf of Mexico. It was the longest flight to date, and typical of the accuracy provided by the Small Diameter Bomb system. On average, the SDB has hit 42 inches from its targeted impact point. The May 11 test, near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was the first since the U.S. Air...

April 21, 2004: The U.S. Air Forces X-45A combat UAV (UCAV, or unmanned combat air vehicle) dropped it’s first smart bomb on April 19th. During the test, the X-45 was flying at 35,000 feet, and moving at about 700 kilometers an hour. The bomb was an SDB (Small Diameter Bomb), a new type of smart bomb that weighs only 250 pounds (and is six inches in diameter and six feet long). A human operator on the ground authorized the release of the bomb when the X-45 signaled that it was within range. The bomb, which carried no explosives, hit the...

FB-22: a Cheaper, Faster, Smarter Bomber A proposal to transform the F-22 Raptor into a high-altitude, first-strike bomber illustrates a harsh reality: The U.S. bombing fleet is ill-prepared to fight wars in regions that are short on friendly nations willing to lend air bases. by Bill Sweetman Turning a fighter into a bomber may seem like trying to convert a Honda S2000 roadster into a pickup truck. Fighters, which are designed to dogfight with hostile airplanes and perform short-range attack missions, are fast and agile; bombers are made to haul heavy loads for thousands of miles. But Lockheed Martin is...