Raytheon’s Small Diameter Bomb II warhead exceeded requirements during a series of recent tests, announced the company Wednesday. “SDB II is affordable because we designed it to be low cost, productive, and meet government specifications. Exceeding those requirements at no extra cost is good for the taxpayer and warfighter,” said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon’s Air Warfare Systems. Using an accelerated conditioning regime, Raytheon said its engineers aged the newly built warheads so it appeared that they had accumulated 500 flight hours or sat in a bunker for 20 years. Then they conducted live detonation testing. “We are determined to keep SDB II on cost and ahead of schedule because the warfighter needs, but doesn’t have, an air-launched weapon that can engage moving targets in adverse weather,” said Schulte. (See also Overshooting the Target, But in a Good Way.)
As the Pentagon increasingly pivots its focus to strategic competition with China, the U.S. will look to expand its partnership with South Korea to increase security across the entire Indo-Pacific region, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Dec. 2 during a visit to the northeastern Asian nation.