The U.S. Air Force has awarded Boeing a modified contract not to exceed $280 million for Small Diameter Bomb I (SDB) integration and engineering support, a U.S. Department of Defense news release states.
Under the contract, the world’s largest aerospace company will provide SDB weapon integration on selected weapon platforms and support of the fielded weapon system. The types of platforms were not indicated in the news release.
Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, and is expected to be completed by September 2024.
The Small Diameter Bomb is a 250 lb (110 kg) precision-guided glide bomb that is intended to provide aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of more accurate bombs
SDI I combines GPS and internal inertial navigation to achieve precise guidance accuracy. The SDB I warhead is a penetrator design with an additional blast and fragmentation capability. The weapon can be set to initiate on impact or a preset height above the intended target. Fuze function delays can be pre-set to either of these two options.
Combatant Commanders use SDB I to attack fixed or relocatable targets that remain stationary from weapon release to impact. Units can engage both soft and hardened targets to include communications facilities, aircraft bunkers, industrial complexes, and lightly armored ground combat systems and vehicles.
According to the current information, the weapon system is currently integrated on the F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor, and AC-130W. Also, the Air Force has the plan to integrate SDB for use on the A-10, MQ-9, B-1, B-2, and the B-52.