After 10 years of development, the U.S. Air Force and Navy will soon have a smart and maneuvering aircraft bomb able to destroy moving targets such as armored vehicles, gun trucks and small boats at ranges over 70 kilometers in all kinds of weather.

The GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II) is an air-launched, precision-guided glide bomb developed by defense contractor, the Raytheon Company that will enter service in 2017. An SDB II weighs just 93 kg (204 lb) and derives its lethality from a shaped charge warhead with both blast and fragmentation effects.

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About 48 kg of the SDB II's weight is an explosive warhead that combines a blast-frag capability with plasma-jet technology that can penetrate the thick armor of main battle tanks (MBTs).

This combination makes SDB II effective against infantry, MBTs, buildings, naval patrol craft and other soft targets. The bomb is being billed as the first purpose-built "no-drive zone enforcement weapon" that denies enemy access into a specific area.

The bomb's precision is made possible by its tri-mode seeker system: millimeter-wave radar, Infrared homing based on uncooled imaging infrared and semi-active laser. SDB II has a two-way, dual-band data link that enables it to change targets or adjust to different target locations while in flight.

It can classify targets, meaning it can be instructed to attack only tanks as opposed to other moving vehicles.  The weapon can classify tanks, boats or wheeled targets, said Raytheon.

Equally important is the sheer number of SDB IIs that can be mounted on US attack aircraft. A total of 28 GBU-53/Bs can be carried by the F-15E Strike Eagle while the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II can carry eight SDB IIs each. The SDB II will become operational on F-15E jets by 2018 and on F/A-18 Super Hornets by 2020, said Raytheon.

The SDB II expected to supplant the widely used JDAM (Joint Direct Attack Munition) bombs that are dumb bombs transformed into smart bombs by the addition of a guidance kit. JDAMs have a range of 28 km and can range in weight from 227 kg to 907 kg.

TagsSmall Diameter Bomb II, SDB II, GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II, Raytheon Company, U.S. Air Force, F-15E Strike Eagle, F/A-18 Super Hornets