In collaboration with Raytheon Missiles & Defence, the US Navy conducted two StormBreaker® smart weapon guided test vehicle releases from an F-35B Lightning II. The tests are conducted at 0.9 Mach, the fastest release from an F-35 to date.
Paul Ferraro, Raytheon Missiles & Defence’s president of Air Power, said, “No other fielded air-to-surface weapon can accomplish what StormBreaker can against complex targets in contested environments.”
StormBreaker is equipped with a multimode seeker and multi-effects warhead, allowing for highly flexible and effective target engagement against moving and stationary targets up to 45 miles away. In addition, the weapon has a larger loadout than legacy munitions, allowing it to hit more targets per sortie.
In 2022, the US Air Force declared StormBreaker Initial Operating Capability (IOC) on the F-15E Strike Eagle. The integration roadmap for the program includes further expansion to additional manned and unmanned platforms, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet of the United States Navy.
