Aerospace giant Boeing was awarded a $2,2 billion contract by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center on 24 September to manufacture and deliver Small Diameter Bombs under a multiyear buy contracting arrangement.
The contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, is awadred under the Small Diameter Bomb Increment I weapon program.
“This contract provides for a guaranteed minimum Lot 15 award and a five-year ordering period for Small Diameter Bomb Increment I, focused lethality munition, containers and carriages for the Department of Defense and Foreign Military Sales partner nations, according to a recent DoD statement.
In addition, DoDO’s notice says that this contract involves Foreign Military Sales to Australia, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Korea, Netherlands and Norway.
The Small Diameter Bomb is a precise and accurate weapon that allows the combat aircraft to deliver decisive air power.
As noted by the company, the Small Diameter Bomb system is the next generation of low-cost and low collateral-damage precision strike weapons for internal and external carriage. With a range greater than 60 nautical miles, SDB’s precision guidance and compact size allow today’s warfighters to surgically prosecute more targets per sortie.
In addition, earlier in September 2019, 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.