The US Department of War (DoW) announced that Raytheon has been granted a not-to-exceed $708.9m undefinitised contract action for Lot 12 production of the small diameter bomb increment II (SDB II) and associated test equipment.
This contract, classified as a sole source acquisition, requires the delivery of all up rounds, containers, test equipment, and spare parts.
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The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, serves as the contracting authority for this arrangement, which also covers Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, the Republic of Korea, and Switzerland.
Works on the contract will take place at Raytheon’s facility in Tucson, Arizona, with a scheduled completion date of 6 March 2030.
At the time of award, the government has obligated a total of $338.5m across fiscal 2025 and 2026 procurement and operations funds, as well as funds for FMS.
Known as the GBU-53/B StormBreaker, the SDB II is a 250-pound, air-launched precision strike weapon produced for the US Air Force and Navy.
The SDB II, equipped with millimetre-wave radar, imaging infrared and laser-guided sensors, as well as GPS and Inertial Navigation System (INS), is designed for precision targeting against moving and stationary threats, including under adverse weather conditions.
The SDB II uses GPS and INS guidance to approach targets and can receive updated coordinates via two-way datalink, using either Link-16 or UHF communications. These communication links allow operators on the ground or in the air to update missions or abort after weapon release.
The weapon features a multi-function warhead, which includes blast, fragmentation, and shaped charge jet capabilities intended to engage both armoured and non-armoured targets.
The F-15E currently holds official approval for operational deployment of StormBreaker, while the US Air Force (USAF) and US Navy have started integration of the weapon on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet platforms.
In early 2024, RTX received a $344.6m contract modification for enhancing StormBreaker munitions production.
