Raytheon StormBreaker Approved for Super Hornet

- The StormBreaker, also known as GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II, weighs 204 pounds and includes a 105-pound warhead designed to be effective against infantry, armor, and unhardened structures. Its compact size allows an F-15E Strike Eagle to carry up to 28 units, and an F-35 can carry eight internally and another 16 externally. - The weapon can engage moving targets at a range of over 45 miles and stationary targets at up to 69 miles. This standoff capability allows the launch aircraft to remain outside the engagement range of many short-range air defense systems. - The program originated as a joint U.S. Air Force and Navy initiative to improve upon the original Boeing-made GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, which was designed for stationary targets. Raytheon won the contract for the SDB II in 2010, with low-rate initial production starting in 2015. - A two-way data link allows for in-flight retargeting, enabling aircrews to update the weapon's destination or abort the mission after release. This network-enabled capability is a key feature, allowing the weapon to receive updates via Link 16 and UHF. - In addition to the Super Hornet, the U.S. Air Force approved the StormBreaker for use on the F-15E Strike Eagle in September 2020. Integration efforts are also underway for all variants of the F-35 Lightning II. - The munition features a multi-effects warhead with a smart fuse that can be set for impact, height-of-burst, or delayed detonation. This provides flexibility against a range of targets, from armored vehicles to buildings and patrol boats. - Raytheon developed and tested a ground-launched prototype of the StormBreaker in just 50 days in the spring of 2025, using a commercial off-the-shelf rocket motor to launch the glide bomb. - The weapon's development timeline included its first controlled test flight from an F-15E in 2009, with operational testing beginning in the summer of 2018 after achieving a 90% success rate in developmental tests.