The US Air Force has approved the StormBreaker smart bomb for use on the F-15E aircraft, the weapon manufacturer Raytheon announced Wednesday.
The US Air Force Air Combat Command’s fielding decision means that F-15E squadrons can now be equipped with StormBreaker and deployed for missions.
The smart bomb features a multimode seeker that guides the weapon by imaging infrared, millimeter wave radar, and semi-active laser in addition to or with GPS and inertial navigation system guidance.
“The weapon gives airmen a significant advantage – the ability to strike maritime or land-based maneuvering targets at range in adverse weather,” said Paul Ferraro, vice president of Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s air power business.
StormBreaker’s small size lets fewer aircraft address the same number of targets compared to larger weapons that require multiple jets, the company says. It can also fly more than 40 miles to strike mobile targets, reducing the amount of time that aircrews spend in harm’s way.
The smart weapon’s initial fielding on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the US Navy later this year and integration for fielding on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are next for the program.
