USAF orders SDB rounds for USSOCOM
Boeing has been awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to provide several hundred Laser Small Diameter Bombs, as well as associated warhead shipping containers, to be used by US Special Operations Detachment 1.
The contract, worth $22.5 million and the result of a sole source delivery order, was announced on 7 November and covers the acquisition of 522 rounds and 131 warhead shipping containers.
Work will be carried out at Boeing’s St Louis facility in Missouri, and is expected to be completed by February 2021.
FY20 procurement funds totalling $21.5 million and research, development, test and evaluation funds of $948,567 were obligated at the time of the award.
According to the Department of Defense, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center based at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida is the contracting activity for the award.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Defence Notes
-
![Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons]()
Ukraine turns legacy Kongsberg land turrets into semi-autonomous USV weapons
The company told Shephard that Ukraine is operating modified Protector weapon stations originally supplied for armoured vehicles, with human operators authorising engagements from hundreds of kilometres away.
-
![UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour]()
UK urged to prioritise sea, air and space over heavy armour
A report from the Council on Geostrategy argues the UK should move away from a traditional balanced force and shift investment to naval, air and space capabilities, backed by a larger fleet of attack submarines and deeper AUKUS integration.
-
![Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era]()
Thales: deployment speed to determine winners in ‘production versus production’ era
At its technology summit in London, attended by Shephard, Thales UK examined the importance of speed to delivery, the growing focus on cross-domain capabilities and how procurement reform could be crucial for future battlefield advantage.
-
![Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain]()
Orchestrating operational readiness across every defence domain
Are all systems ready for the next mission? Have upgrades been applied? Are all assets aligned to deploy together, on time and fully prepared? In modern defence operations, readiness is no longer measured platform by platform. It is measured by how well people, assets, data and decisions move together — across land, sea and air.
