Friday, December 2, 2011

Raytheon SDB II Program Ahead of Schedule After Latest Round of Testing


TUCSON, Ariz., Nov. 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Small Diameter Bomb II program remains ahead of schedule after completing a series of tests that demonstrated successful integration of production tri-mode seeker hardware and software. 

During the tests, a seeker built on an active production line was mounted on a tower and tracked a variety of moving targets in imaging infrared and millimeter wave modes. The tests proved that the seeker's software could seamlessly pass data between modes, allowing the weapon's algorithms to arrive at a targeting solution.

"The warfighter has a critical, unmet need for a weapon that can hit a moving target regardless of weather conditions, and Raytheon is doing its part to give it to them," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Air Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. "This test is the most recent in a series of successes that keep the SDB II program on cost and ahead of schedule."

SDB II fills a critical capability gap for warfighters by enabling fighter and bomber aircraft to engage moving targets in adverse weather from ranges greater than 40 nautical miles (approximately 46 statute miles).

About the Small Diameter Bomb II

SDB II's integrated tri-mode seeker fuses millimeter-wave radar, uncooled imaging infrared and semiactive laser sensors on a single gimbal, which enables the weapon to seek and destroy targets, despite weather conditions.

  • SDB II uses an uncooled tri-mode seeker to hit moving targets in adverse weather conditions.
  • The SDB II program is performing on cost and ahead of schedule.
  • Early October tests proved the hardware and software could pass data between seeker modes.

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