GBU-53 / B
| GBU-53 / B | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Designation: | GBU-53 / B StormBreaker |
| Type: | guided glide bomb |
| Country of origin: | United States |
| Manufacturer: | Raytheon |
| Development: | 2006-2016 |
| Commissioning: | from 2017 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Combat weight: | 113 kg |
| Length: | 1760 mm |
| Diameter: | 180 mm |
| Span: | 1680 mm |
| Range: | up to 74 km |
| Furnishing | |
| Warhead: | HEAT , fragmentation warhead |
| Steering: | GPS / INS + TacNet data link |
| Weapon platforms: | F-15E Strike Eagle, F / A-18E / F Hornet, F-35B / C Lightning II |
| List of bombs by country of origin | |
The GBU-53 / B StormBreaker is a guided glide bomb under development. It is provided with the addition SDB II (Small Diameter Bomb II), but has little to do with the GBU-39 SDB apart from the concept.
History and technology
The first concept for the development of the SDB II was originally available in 2005. The project teams Boeing / Lockheed Martin and Raytheon were selected. The Department of Defense chose the Boeing / Lockheed design. After protests on the part of Raytheon about the awarding practice, this development contract was withdrawn in September 2005 because the technical data was changed in favor of Boeing / Lockheed through the work of Krediten A. Druyun . Raytheon won the new tender. So far, the Department of Defense is planning program costs of approximately US $ 5.21 billion. Of this, $ 450.8 million will only be used for the development of the GBU-53.
Unlike the GBU-39, the GBU-53 is able to fight mobile targets, such as tanks, even in poor weather conditions. It takes over tasks for which the AGM-65 Maverick is actually intended. To locate the target, it uses a seeker head known as tri-mode (triple mode). This contains a semi-active laser (SAL), a millimeter-wave radar and an uncooled imaging infrared module. The seeker head is not a completely new development. It is a derivative of the seeker head, which should be used in the surface-to-surface missile known as the XM501 NLOS-LS . The GBU-53 is steered by an inertial navigation system (INS) in connection with a GPS module. A Weapon Data Link transmitter is also installed. This makes it possible to update target data up to 38 times per minute via Link-16. Of the total weight of 93 kg, the TacNet accounts for around 1.82 kg. Like the GBU-39, the GBU-53 uses retractable wings, but in a conventionally swept-back configuration. These wings allow her a range of up to 74 km, depending on the flight altitude and speed. They are made in the USA by MBDA .
In April 2006, the first technology tests with a modified JDAM were carried out, which were successful. The tests for the seeker head were carried out on a UH-1 from 2011 and the first test drops from an F-15E took place in May 2009.
Production of the first pre-series models began in 2013. As of 2019, 750 GBU-53s are to be produced for the United States Air Force and 500 for the United States Navy . Later, a total of 17,000 GBU-53 - 12,000 for the United States Air Force and 5000 for the United States Navy - will be produced. The F-15E Strike Eagle , which can be equipped with the BRU-61 carrier system for four GBU-53s, is supposed to carry up to 28 units. The vertical takeoff Lockheed Martin F-35 B's internal weapon bay holds six GBU-53s and two AIM-120 AMRAAMs , while the F-35C can hold eight GBU-53s and two AMRAAMs. The F-22 Raptor also has eight GBU-53s and two AMRAAMs, but the integration of the GBU-53 is not planned according to current plans (as of 09/2011).
Web links
- GBU-53 on raytheon.com (eng)
- Report on the GBU-53 program on defenseindustrydaily.com (eng)
- GBU-53 on ausairpower.net (eng)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Pat Hos: Surface Navy 2019: Pentagon boosts StormBreaker ammunition Lot 5 quantity. In: Janes.com. IHS Jane's 360, January 17, 2019, accessed January 22, 2019 .
- ↑ Data of the GBU-53 / B