Air Force Releases Two Boeing Small Diameter Bombs in Flight Test

Boeing Co, ST. LOUIS: Two Boeing Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) were dropped recently from the same aircraft, scoring direct hits on two separate targets.  
 
The test on July 26 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. was from an altitude of 15,000 feet. Released from a U.S. Air Force F-15E at Mach 0.95, each weapon performed a planned one hundred degree heading change, traveled approximately 18 miles across the range from the release point and attacked independent targets spaced 30 feet apart.  
 
“These were our 25 th and 26 th successful weapon flights and two of the more significant tests we've accomplished to date,” said SDB Program Manager, Dan Jaspering. “They go to the core of the weapon's capabilities, which is getting to more targets with fewer flights, with incredible accuracy.”  
 
The first SDB hit within four feet of its target, while the second hit within 10 inches of its target. The two weapons were released from the same carriage, but each bomb had its own set of target coordinates.  
 
The all-weather SDB weapon system can hold four SDBs and is compatible with every U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft. It has a standoff range of 60 nautical miles. At 71 inches long, this 250-pound weapon quadruples the weapons load on each aircraft. The SDB will first be deployed on the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle in 2006.  
 
A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world's largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $30.5 billion business. It provides network-centric system solutions to its global military, government, and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in sustainment solutions and launch services.