Air Force eyes new sensors to help attack aircraft be just as lethal as submarines in anti-ship warfare
WASHINGTON – What was old is once again new. In an effort reminiscent of U.S. aerial attacks in the Pacific theater during World War II, the Air Force announced that an F-15E used a specially developed GBU-31 2,000-pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, along with new tactics, on a moving ship. Military Times reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
9 Sept. 2021 -- However, unlike the SBD Dauntless or Helldivers of yesteryear, the F-15E isn’t designed for naval warfare. Nor, according to the Air Force, is the JDAM an ideal weapon for anti-ship warfare.
But the Air Force wants to deliver the kind of lethality that a submarine can, without exposing a boat to detection. The test, called the QUICKSINK Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, is an effort to develop and demonstrate a low-cost Air Force capability rapidly to defeat surface vessels from the air.
The effort includes development of low-cost sensors and seekers for precise placement of anti-ship munitions, as well as a warhead optimized for maritime conditions. The initial demonstrations use a JDAM weapon for its ability rapidly to integrate and demonstrate the technologies. While the technology could be used on a JDAM, the goal is to move the technology into future long-range weapons.
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics