Going over the modernization roadmap for the B-2 program, Northrop Grumman’s Harry Heimple told the Daily Report that the Air Force has decided to bypass Small Diameter Bomb I and go straight for the next-generation SDB II, a longer reaching capability that will be able to hit moving targets. Referring to the upgrade as the “moving target kill” (MTK) effort, Heimple said the plan to equip SDB II on the stealth bomber will involve upgrades to multi-functional displays, weapon stores processors, and radar modes. Since the B-2 already has space for 80 precision weapons in its bomb bays, including the 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, the Air Force has decided it would be more prudent to skip to the next generation SDB II, with a planned initial operational capability target date of 2015 to 2016.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.