China military very weak, USA always 1 step ahead. China try to copy steal USA technology, USA too fast liao
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidh...game-changing-stormbreaker-bomb/#351e8cc03028
U.S. Tests ‘Game Changing’ StormBreaker Bomb
David HamblingContributor
Aerospace & Defense
I'm a South London-based technology journalist, consultant and author
Raytheon this week announced that an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet had successfully launched its StormBreaker smart glide bomb for the first time. The Super Hornet and F-15E Eagle will carry the weapon when it becomes fully operational later this year, with integration with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter expected soon.
Test of GBU-53 multi-mode warhead
RAYTHEON
The GBU-53/B StormBreaker is far more capable than existing smart bombs, thanks to an advanced millimeter wave radar seeker combined with an infrared sensor. It can copy existing weapons like the JDAM, which hits pre-programmed GPS coordinates, or Paveway, which homes in on a target designated with a laser spot. But what makes it special is a new mode in which StormBreaker glides up to 45 miles to the target area, then finds and attacks targets without human assistance. It can hit moving vehicles such as tanks, even in bad weather, smoke or total darkness. StormBreaker was previously known as the SDB II, or Small Diameter Bomb II.
"We call SDB II a game changer because the weapon doesn't just hit GPS coordinates; it finds and engages targets," Mike Jarrett, Raytheon Air Warfare Systems vice president, stated in a 2018 press release. The weapon has been under development since 2010.
Recommended For Youhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/davida...he-wrong-russian-warplane-for-fighting-china/
StormBreaker is small – just under 250 pounds – so large numbers can be packed on to an aircraft. An F-15E will be able to carry 28 StormBreakers, and an F-35 up to 24. Future plans call for it to be deployed on the B-52, B-1B and B-2 bombers which carry much larger bombloads – the B-1B can carry 96 of the similar-sized SDB-1.
The name and the concept behind StormBreaker are reminiscent of DARPA’s 1980’s Assault Breaker, which aimed to annihilate Soviet armor formations with a rain of ‘brilliant’ anti-tank munitions. These were envisioned to be smarter than smart bombs, being able to scan the battlefield and find Russian tanks on their own. The technology was not mature enough for Assault Breaker, but 30 years on, a small number of aircraft dropping StormBreakers could wipe out battalion-sized tank units from outside the range of air defenses.
StormBreaker’s sensor combination and smart algorithms can analyze and classify a range of target vehicles, picking out the highest priority target. The weapon maintains communication with the launch aircraft and can be retargeted in flight. The warhead was redesigned during development to provide a combination of blast, fragmentation and armor-piercing effects making it deadly to tanks, buildings, and people.
Raytheon's GBU-53/B StormBreaker
RAYTHEON
Hitting large number of targets simultaneously is a challenge, as there is a risk that every StormBreaker in the area will home in on the same prominent high-value target, leaving all other targets unharmed. Things may move too fast, and bandwidth may not be sufficient, for human operators to control many weapons at once. The Air Force's Golden Horde program aims to overcome this by ‘networked collaborative autonomy’ – combining multiple weapons like StormBreaker into a single entity or swarm in flight. This swarm can follow an attack plan known as a Playbook and react to new targets or threats.
While StormBreaker might be used like any other smart bomb against insurgents – singly and under direct guidance – in more desperate situations, such as a conflict with a peer or near-peer, commanders may resort to the automated mode. Mark Gubrud, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and member of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control says such highly automated weapon system brings new dangers.
“Having a weapon system that you believe can ingress to denied territory and carry out a search-and-destroy mission may incline you to attempt such a mission with a risk of error and escalation,” says Gubrud.
Thus, an attempt to quickly stem what might look like a surprise attack with a rain of StormBreakers might backfire and lead to a full-scale conflict which neither side wants. When one button push can have that sort effect, commanders may need to exercise caution.
StormBreaker could be a tremendously powerful capability when fielded in large numbers; a swarm of them might even count as a WMD. But until its strengths and weaknesses are fully established it should not be treated as a silver bullet to vanquish all opposition.
Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
David Hambling
Author of 'Swarm Troopers: How small drones will conquer the world,' following cutting-edge military technology in general and unmanned systems in particular. New science
…
Read More
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidh...game-changing-stormbreaker-bomb/#351e8cc03028
U.S. Tests ‘Game Changing’ StormBreaker Bomb
David HamblingContributor
Aerospace & Defense
I'm a South London-based technology journalist, consultant and author
Raytheon this week announced that an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet had successfully launched its StormBreaker smart glide bomb for the first time. The Super Hornet and F-15E Eagle will carry the weapon when it becomes fully operational later this year, with integration with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter expected soon.
Test of GBU-53 multi-mode warhead
RAYTHEON
The GBU-53/B StormBreaker is far more capable than existing smart bombs, thanks to an advanced millimeter wave radar seeker combined with an infrared sensor. It can copy existing weapons like the JDAM, which hits pre-programmed GPS coordinates, or Paveway, which homes in on a target designated with a laser spot. But what makes it special is a new mode in which StormBreaker glides up to 45 miles to the target area, then finds and attacks targets without human assistance. It can hit moving vehicles such as tanks, even in bad weather, smoke or total darkness. StormBreaker was previously known as the SDB II, or Small Diameter Bomb II.
"We call SDB II a game changer because the weapon doesn't just hit GPS coordinates; it finds and engages targets," Mike Jarrett, Raytheon Air Warfare Systems vice president, stated in a 2018 press release. The weapon has been under development since 2010.
Recommended For Youhttps://www.forbes.com/sites/davida...he-wrong-russian-warplane-for-fighting-china/
StormBreaker is small – just under 250 pounds – so large numbers can be packed on to an aircraft. An F-15E will be able to carry 28 StormBreakers, and an F-35 up to 24. Future plans call for it to be deployed on the B-52, B-1B and B-2 bombers which carry much larger bombloads – the B-1B can carry 96 of the similar-sized SDB-1.
The name and the concept behind StormBreaker are reminiscent of DARPA’s 1980’s Assault Breaker, which aimed to annihilate Soviet armor formations with a rain of ‘brilliant’ anti-tank munitions. These were envisioned to be smarter than smart bombs, being able to scan the battlefield and find Russian tanks on their own. The technology was not mature enough for Assault Breaker, but 30 years on, a small number of aircraft dropping StormBreakers could wipe out battalion-sized tank units from outside the range of air defenses.
StormBreaker’s sensor combination and smart algorithms can analyze and classify a range of target vehicles, picking out the highest priority target. The weapon maintains communication with the launch aircraft and can be retargeted in flight. The warhead was redesigned during development to provide a combination of blast, fragmentation and armor-piercing effects making it deadly to tanks, buildings, and people.
Raytheon's GBU-53/B StormBreaker
RAYTHEON
Hitting large number of targets simultaneously is a challenge, as there is a risk that every StormBreaker in the area will home in on the same prominent high-value target, leaving all other targets unharmed. Things may move too fast, and bandwidth may not be sufficient, for human operators to control many weapons at once. The Air Force's Golden Horde program aims to overcome this by ‘networked collaborative autonomy’ – combining multiple weapons like StormBreaker into a single entity or swarm in flight. This swarm can follow an attack plan known as a Playbook and react to new targets or threats.
While StormBreaker might be used like any other smart bomb against insurgents – singly and under direct guidance – in more desperate situations, such as a conflict with a peer or near-peer, commanders may resort to the automated mode. Mark Gubrud, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and member of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control says such highly automated weapon system brings new dangers.
“Having a weapon system that you believe can ingress to denied territory and carry out a search-and-destroy mission may incline you to attempt such a mission with a risk of error and escalation,” says Gubrud.
Thus, an attempt to quickly stem what might look like a surprise attack with a rain of StormBreakers might backfire and lead to a full-scale conflict which neither side wants. When one button push can have that sort effect, commanders may need to exercise caution.
StormBreaker could be a tremendously powerful capability when fielded in large numbers; a swarm of them might even count as a WMD. But until its strengths and weaknesses are fully established it should not be treated as a silver bullet to vanquish all opposition.
Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website or some of my other work here.
David Hambling
Author of 'Swarm Troopers: How small drones will conquer the world,' following cutting-edge military technology in general and unmanned systems in particular. New science
…
Read More
