Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s StormBreaker smart weapon cleared for F-15 Eagle
Oct 14, 2020
The StormBreaker® smart weapon gives operators an upper hand in combat by hitting moving targets in some of the worst weather conditions. The winged munition autonomously detects and classifies moving targets in poor visibility situations caused by darkness, bad weather, smoke or dust kicked up by helicopters.
High above enemy territory, it drops from the wing of a fighter jet into the black, cloudy night.
Its wings and tail fins extend, and it glides steadily for miles, able to see through a haze of dust and smoke hanging thick in the air. It is headed toward a target the pilot can’t see, but that doesn’t matter, because it can see that target perfectly.
The U.S. Air Force has cleared the StormBreaker weapon for use on the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft after Raytheon Missiles & Defense wrapped up a series of test and integration activities.
“The weapon has proven itself in many complex test scenarios, against a variety of targets in extreme environmental conditions, and is now ready to fly,” said Cristy Stagg, StormBreaker program director at Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a business of Raytheon Technologies.
Guided, gliding and precise
StormBreaker’s reach is long and its punch powerful—it can hit moving, armored targets from more than 40 miles away—but what really sets the guided weapon apart is its seeker.
Its multimode seeker includes a millimeter-wave radar to “see” targets in adverse weather, imaging infrared for target discrimination and semi-active laser to track an airborne laser or one on the ground. The laser works in addition to or with GPS and inertial navigation system guidance.
The system was built small, so fighter jets could carry more of them. For example, the F-15 can carry seven groups of four StormBreaker smart weapons, for a total of 28 munitions.
It was also built smart, with a datalink that allows the pilot to change targets even as the weapon glides toward the ground. And it is precise, with a small explosive footprint to keep collateral damage to a minimum.
“With its multimode seeker and datalink, StormBreaker will make adverse weather irrelevant,” Stagg said.
The U.S. Navy is expected to achieve initial fielding of StormBreaker on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft in late 2020, as the Air Force continues integration on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a Raytheon Technologies business (NYSE: RTX), today announced the StormBreaker® smart weapon has been approved for use on the F-15E by the U.S. Air Force’s Air Combat Command. The fielding decision means that F-15E squadrons can now be equipped with StormBreaker and deployed for missions.
“StormBreaker delivers an unprecedented capability to pilots in the field,” said Paul Ferraro, vice president of Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s Air Power business. “The weapon gives airmen a significant advantage – the ability to strike maritime or land-based maneuvering targets at range in adverse weather.”
StormBreaker features an innovative multimode seeker that guides the weapon by imaging infrared, millimeter wave radar, and semi-active laser in addition to or with GPS and inertial navigation system guidance.
“The weapon has proven itself in many complex test scenarios, against a variety of targets in extreme environmental conditions, and is now ready to fly,” said Cristy Stagg, StormBreaker program director at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “With its multimode seeker and datalink, StormBreaker will make adverse weather irrelevant.”
StormBreaker’s small size lets fewer aircraft address the same number of targets compared to larger weapons that require multiple jets. It can also fly more than 40 miles to strike mobile targets, reducing the amount of time that aircrews spend in harm’s way.
The smart weapon’s initial fielding on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for the U.S. Navy later this year and integration for fielding on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter are next for the program.
To learn more about StormBreaker, visit us here.