U.S. Navy Equips F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with StormBreaker Smart Weapon

Raytheon, a business under RTX, unveiled today that the U.S. Navy has successfully fielded their StormBreaker smart weapon on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

The F/A-18 is the first approved U.S. Navy aircraft to carry StormBreaker (Small Diameter Bomb-II).

Leveraging insights gained from the deployment of StormBreaker on the F-15E, Raytheon managed to streamline the testing and integration process.

StormBreaker boasts a multimode seeker that guides the weapon using an imaging infrared camera, millimeter-wave radar, semi-active laser, and the option of GPS and inertial navigation system guidance. Notably, its compact design enables a smaller number of aircraft to address the same quantity of targets compared to bulkier munitions, which often require multiple jets for deployment. Furthermore, StormBreaker's operational range allows it to strike moving land and maritime targets from over 40 miles away.

The U.S. Air Force declared Initial Operating Capability for the weapon on the F-15E Strike Eagle in 2022. Moreover, all three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are currently undergoing integration testing with StormBreaker.

SDB-II is an air-launched, precision-strike standoff weapon that enables the warfighter to defeat moving and fixed targets. It can operate in adverse weather conditions through its tri-mode seeker that employs infrared and millimeter wave radar to see through fog, smoke and rain.

The weapon has the capability to receive updated target coordinates mid-flight via two-way datalink communications. Using these network options, SDB-II allows airborne or ground controllers the ability to send in-flight target updates.