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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Air Force tests new ship-killing bomb variant
The Air Force has tested a new variation of its ship-killing Quicksink guided bomb to expand its options for taking out enemy vessels in a future war. In a June 4 statement, the service said it dropped a 500-pound version of Quicksink, made from a GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, from a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Eglin Air Force Base's Gulf Test Range off the coast of Florida. Previous Quicksink tests were conducted with 2,000-pound bombs. Quicksink is the Air Force Research Laboratory's effort to strengthen its ability to take out enemy ships. This capability would be particularly important in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan, which would likely involve grueling fighting in the Pacific Ocean and require U.S. forces to destroy Chinese ships. Previous tests used modified GBU-31 JDAMs to destroy target vessels. Those JDAMs are guided by GPS and use fins to steer towards the target as they fall. AFRL previously said that it redesigned the JDAM's nose plug to better suit it for maritime strikes. A stock JDAM nose might cause the bomb to carom off the surface of the water in unexpected directions instead of striking its target, AFRL said, but the Quicksink redesign is meant to keep it on target. Quicksink bombs do not travel under the water towards their target like traditional torpedoes. The Air Force says modifying existing guided bombs into Quicksink weapons would provide anti-ship capability at a lower cost than weapons like torpedoes. The Air Force said in its statement that the new Quicksink variant would expand the B-2's targeting reach by giving combatant commanders more options for striking enemy targets. AFRL declined to further detail how the 500-pound version provides more targeting options or when the latest test took place, citing security concerns. 'Quicksink offers an affordable, game-changing solution to rapidly and efficiently sink maritime targets,' Col. Dan Lehoski, commander of Eglin's 53rd Wing, said in a statement. 'AFRL's 500-pound Quicksink variant adds options for the warfighter and enhances operational flexibility.' AFRL said video of the latest test is classified and could not be released. But a previous video posted in 2022 shows a Quicksink bomb streaking towards an empty vessel before exploding, cleaving the ship in half and sending it underwater in a matter of seconds.
Miami Herald
05-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
US tests bomb that splits ships in half
By Dean Murray The U.S. has successfully tested a lighter version of a bomb that can blast huge ships in half. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) said Wednesday (June 4) they dropped a 500-pound QUICKSINK munition from a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber. It follows a dramatic 2022 trial where a larger 2,000-pound variant was used to destroy a full-scale surface vessel. The USAF say the smaller version of the precision-guided bomb offers a lower-cost anti-ship weapon, with more being able to be carried by bombers and fighter jets. Col. Dan Lehoski, 53rd Wing commander, said: "QUICKSINK offers an affordable, game-changing solution to rapidly and efficiently sink maritime targets. "AFRL's 500-pound QUICKSINK variant adds options for the warfighter and enhances operational flexibility." The live-fire exercise was a collaborative effort between Air Force Materiel Command's Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and Air Force Test Center and Air Combat Command's 53rd Wing. Col. Matthew Caspers, AFRL Munitions Directorate commander, said: "QUICKSINK is the result of a Joint collaboration that rapidly prototyped an affordable concept for holding surface targets at risk." It has not been reported what target the new variant was used against. The post US tests bomb that splits ships in half appeared first on Talker. Copyright Talker News. All Rights Reserved.
