Raytheon has completed testing a ground-launched version of the StormBreaker glide weapon, which previously had been fielded only in an air-launched configuration.
The trial was conducted at a private range in the Mojave Desert, where the prototype was launched using a commercial off-the-shelf rocket motor.
During the spring testing, it met key milestones, including reaching an altitude of about 20,000 feet (6,096 meters).
According to the company, the new variant was designed, developed, and tested within just 50 days.
“Recent global conflicts have highlighted the need for a smart, ground-launched, precision strike weapon that can perform in GPS-contested areas,” president of Air & Space Defense Systems at Raytheon Sam Deneke said.
“StormBreaker is a composable weapon, which allows it to be customized to meet mission demands. Using the foundational components of air-launched StormBreaker allowed us to move faster than ever before, going from concept to test flight in under two months.”
The ground-launched variant is built to engage the same targets as its air-launched counterpart while providing extended range and enhanced offensive capabilities.
Additional tests are planned throughout 2025.
StormBreaker
The GBU-53/B StormBreaker, also known as the Small Diameter Bomb Increment II, is described by Raytheon as the only network-enabled smart weapon capable of engaging both moving and stationary targets in fair or adverse weather, on land or at sea.
The weapon can be dropped from an aircraft and have its control handed over to another, a feature considered critical in a JADC2 (Joint All-Domain Command and Control) battlespace.
The 200-pound (91-kilogram) weapon can glide over 45 miles (72 kilometers) to reach its target and uses Global Positioning System/Inertial Navigation System guidance that supports post-launch retargeting.
In service since 2020, the air-launched StormBreaker is cleared for use on the F-15E and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and is being integrated on the F-35A, B, and C.
The F-35 can carry eight StormBreakers internally and an additional eight externally, giving the aircraft the capability to engage moving targets in adverse weather and counter a wide range of threats.
Moreover, its multi-effect warhead combines shaped-charge jets, fragmentation, and blast effects, with an optional delayed smart fuse.
