US successfully demonstrates new JDAM anti-ship bombs

On April 28, the US Air Force (USAF) demonstrated its new anti-ship bomb, developed as part of the Quicksink project. According to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Quicksink "successfully destroyed a large-scale surface vessel in the Gulf of Mexico."

ADVERTISING

An F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber from the Eglin Air Force Base Integrated Test Team dropped the program-modified GBU-31 JDAM bomb as part of the test, the second experiment in the QUICKSINK t Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) , funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

The test was successful, through a collaborative effort between the AFRL, the 780th Test Squadron of the 96th Test Wing, and the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron of the 53rd Wing.

ADVERTISING

“QUICKSINK is a response to an urgent need to neutralize maritime threats around the world”, said Colonel Tony Meeks of the AFRL Munitions Directorate. "The men and women of this Board consistently find ways to solve our nation's greatest challenges."

The AFRL has previously said that QUICKSINK aims to replicate the lethality of an MK-48 torpedo from the US Navy, which is also a partner in the program. In this way, the USAF can achieve effects similar to the torpedo attack using heavy bombs, at higher rates and over a larger area.

The most recent test photos show four 31-pound (2000 kg) GBU-907 bombs mounted on the F-15E of the 85th Test Squadron. A Project Quicksink logo was pasted on the tips of the bombs, showing a destroyer being sunk by a JDAM after her keel was broken. This method of sinking a ship using a torpedo is also known as "breaking the back".

While torpedoes predominantly sink enemy ships via submarines, new methods explored by the Quicksink project can achieve anti-ship lethality with air-launched weapons, including modified JDAM bombs.

“Heavy torpedoes are effective [for sinking large ships], but they are expensive and employed by a small portion of naval assets,” said Major Andrew Swanson, head of the 85th TES Division of Advanced Programs. “With QUICKSINK, we have demonstrated a lower-cost, more agile solution that has the potential to be employed by the majority of Air Force combat aircraft, giving combatant and warfighter commanders more options.”

AFRL scientists and engineers are developing a finder to allow precise positioning of the bomb, through a open weapons systems architecture (WOSA).

Implementing WOSA also reduces costs by providing modularity through the plug-and-play capability of search components from different manufacturers. In this way, the AFRL will be able to achieve both reduced costs and improved weapon system performance.

"QUICKSINK is unique in that it can provide new capabilities to existing and future Department of Defense weapons systems, giving commanders and our national leaders new ways to defend against maritime threats," said Kirk Herzog, program manager at AFRL.

“A Navy submarine has the capability to launch and destroy a ship with a single torpedo at any time, but QUICKSINK JCTD aims to develop a low-cost method to obtain torpedo-like sinks from the air at a much higher rate and in a much larger area, said Herzog.

ADVERTISING

“The QUICKSINK mission was successful thanks to the hours of planning and preparation provided by the entire test team,” said Captain J. Tucker Tipton, air-to-surface test flight commander, 780th Test Squadron. “This was another example of how the 780th Test Squadron s weapons development test customers and helps provide unique warfighter capabilities.”

The OUSD (R&E) awarded the JCTD Quicksink to the AFRL Munitions Directorate in FY 2021 as part of its ongoing Maritime Weapons Program.

"Developing this technology is critical to maintaining US technological superiority and meeting defined national security challenges", said Gerry Tighe, Oversight Executive for the OUSD(R&E) of the JCTD. “This successful demonstration represents an important milestone.”

US successfully demonstrates new anti-ship JDAM bombs

by Gabriel Centeno