A-10C attack aircraft will be able to use GBU-39 / B SDB bombs
Experiments with the suspension of a large number of GBU-39 / B bombs on an attack aircraft, February 2022
The American Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft is capable of carrying and using a wide range of guided and free-falling bombs. In the near future, the ammunition load of such aircraft will be replenished with modern ammunition of the GBU-39 / B Small Diameter Bomb type. The necessary tests are now being completed, as a result of which all combatant attack aircraft will receive the update.
Armament complex
The A-10C attack aircraft is different from other tactical aircraft aviation United States with a special composition of weapons and combat capabilities. It has a built-in 30-mm seven-barreled rapid-fire cannon on board, and 11 suspension points are provided under the wing and fuselage. The maximum combat load exceeds 7,2 tons.
The aircraft can carry and use ammunition weighing up to 2268 kg - loads of this kind are placed on the central pylon under the fuselage. The side fuselage points are designed for 1587 kg each. Pylons under the wing carry less load; extreme are designed for 450 kg. Due to these characteristics, the aircraft is able to use weapon "air-to-surface" of different types, sizes and weights.
Trials in April 2023
The effective use of bombs and missiles is provided by the onboard weapon control system. It consists of various digital devices with the corresponding software. If necessary, control systems are updated by installing new software, both in general and individual software modules. At the moment, the software of the Operation Flight Program 11 (OFP-11) version is relevant, which gives compatibility with modern guided weapons, incl. latest models.
"Small Bombs"
Since the middle of the 39s, the US Air Force has been in service with the GBU-285 / B Small Diameter Bomb, a compact guided munition with a caliber of 129 pounds (XNUMX kg). This product can be used by various tactical aviation aircraft, and it is regularly used in exercises and in real operations.
At one time, the Thunderbolt-2 aircraft, for certain reasons, were not included in the list of regular GBU-39 / B carriers, and did not receive the necessary instruments and software. However, practice has shown that attack aircraft need these weapons. Work on the integration of new products into the A-10C weapons system started just a few years ago. Such tasks were solved in a fairly simple way - by developing software modules for the existing OFP-11 software. The installation of such a module made it possible to “teach” the weapons control system to use new types of weapons, and not only SDB products.
Compatibility of the aircraft and the bomb "at the hardware level" was planned to be ensured by standard multi-seat beam holders. With the help of unified mounts, they were supposed to be mounted on attack aircraft pylons and ensure the transportation of bombs.
Bombs on an external sling
At the test stage
The development of new software tools was completed by early 2022. Pilots of the 442nd US Air Force Test Squadron from Nellis Air Force Base (Nevada) were assigned to test them. The regular attack aircraft of the unit received the necessary software and actually became flying laboratories for testing new software.
Reportedly, in the past, the main focus was on the hardware side of the project. The aircraft carried out sorties with holders and bombs GBU-39 / B in different configurations. So, the US Air Force published a series of photographs from the tests, in which the attack aircraft carried four holders with four bombs on each under the fuselage and center section. The total mass of 16 ammunition, not counting the suspension means, exceeded 2 tons.
As far as is known, at this stage of testing, the A-10C only carried a combat load, but its use was not practiced. Such tests took place only recently, on April 19-20, 2023. Based on their results, the 442nd Test Squadron again published a short note and attached some interesting photos.
This time, the flying laboratory-attack aircraft received the necessary software update and can now fully use SDB bombs. Thanks to this, the first test drops of weapons on training ground targets took place. How exactly the targets were bombed is not specified. Probably, the discharge of products was practiced one by one and in groups. It is impossible to exclude the simultaneous use of the entire ammunition load.
In recent tests, the new software and hardware have proven their worth. Now the Air Force must update the programs on all combatant attack aircraft. These activities are not difficult, and therefore they are planned to be completed before the end of the year.
Ranged weapon
The GBU-39 / B Small Diameter Bomb product was developed at the beginning of the 100s by one of the divisions of Boeing by order of the US Air Force. It is a guided glide bomb designed to hit ground targets at ranges up to 110-XNUMX km from the drop point. Its carriers can be various tactical and long-range aircraft.
The SDB bomb has a streamlined body that can accommodate the warhead, fuse, etc. A module with a folding swept wing of a characteristic design is placed on the surface of the hull. Before dropping, the wing was laid along the hull. In the tail there is a block of control systems with rudders. The total length of the product is 1,8 m with a case diameter of 190 mm. Wingspan - 1,61 m. Weight - 129 kg.
GBU-39 / B can be equipped with different types of guidance. The basic version of the bomb had satellite and inertial navigation to target known coordinates. There is also a modification of the GBU-39B / B with a semi-active laser seeker. A further development of the family was the product GBU-53 / B SDB II or StormBreaker with a combined seeker. It has active radar, laser and infrared channels, as well as navigation aids. Such a bomb is capable of independently finding and hitting a stationary or moving target. At the same time, StormBreaker is slightly smaller than its predecessors and weighs only 93 kg.
A-10C in flight with 16 bombs
All "small-diameter bombs" are equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The basic SDB carries 93 kg of explosive in a rugged penetrating case. For the "laser" version, a 62-kg warhead was created in a composite case. Lightweight product GBU-53B carries a charge weighing only 16 kg.
Aircraft and its weapons
The A-10C attack aircraft was once developed as a battlefield aircraft. It was supposed to literally hang over the combat area and attack ground targets, primarily enemy equipment. It was supposed to work on target designation from the ground or from the air, or independent detection of targets. Such tactics of application at one time determined the technical appearance and capabilities of the aircraft.
At present, such work of tactical aviation is actually not possible. The developed army of the potential adversary of the United States has military air defense, which can drastically complicate the work of attack aircraft or make it impossible. Under such conditions, an effective and safe attack on ground targets is possible only from outside the zones of destruction of anti-aircraft weapons.
In this regard, new types of missile and bomb weapons with increased range and accuracy have long been developed for the US Air Force. In particular, in 2005, the first bomb of the SDB family entered service. Later it was introduced into the ammunition load of all fighter-bombers. At the same time, the A-10C attack aircraft, designed to work on ground targets, did not receive such a weapon.
Another load configuration - two beam holders with eight bombs and an external fuel tank
Only now, in 2022-23, i.e. 17-18 years after being adopted by the US Air Force, the GBU-39 / B aerial bomb is included in the ammunition nomenclature for the A-10C. Regardless of the reasons and prerequisites for this, we are talking about the most serious delay. For a long time, a specialized aircraft did not have the opportunity to use one of the best American bomb weapons.
However, by the end of the year the situation should change. Drill Thunderbolts will finally receive software for using SDB products. The positive consequences of this are obvious. Using third-party reconnaissance and target designation means, attack aircraft will be able to attack targets from a long range, up to 100-110 km. At the same time, one aircraft will be able to carry up to 16 such bombs, and it will have a reserve capacity and several free pylons for other weapons. The overall strike capabilities of the attack aircraft will improve.
Consequences of disputes
The operation of the A-10 attack aircraft began in the late seventies. In the middle of the 700s, a modern modification with the letter "C" was created. Of the more than 300 built aircraft, almost XNUMX units remain in service. Due to its specific role and appearance, Thunderbolt II is sometimes referred to as obsolete and unnecessary by the US Air Force. Moreover, attempts have been repeatedly made to remove this equipment from service - so far unsuccessful.
Disputes about the future fate of attack aircraft had a negative impact on their development. Because of them, proposals for new upgrades, incl. small, did not receive approval, and the A-10C was left without new features and capabilities. A characteristic consequence of this has been the current story with GBU-39/B bombs. An attack aircraft could have received such a weapon back in the XNUMXs or XNUMXs. But real work on this topic has only recently begun, and the full introduction of new bombs is still a matter of an uncertain future.
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