Raytheon has completed a series of captive flight tests on the Small Diameter Bomb II tri-mode seeker, keeping the program ahead of schedule. The tests demonstrated that the company's tri-mode seeker could acquire and track moving vehicles.

"These tests are helping to keep the SDB II program on cost and ahead of schedule," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Air Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems.

"With SDB II, enemies can no longer use darkness, battlefield obscurants or inclement weather to hide their troop movements."

The SDB II is the world's first weapon capable of engaging fixed or moving targets around-the-clock in adverse weather conditions from a range of greater than 40 nautical miles (approximately 46 statute miles).

"Our testing program proves uncooled tri-mode seeker technology will consistently and accurately guide its weapon to the target," said Tom White, Raytheon's SDB II program director.

"Our uncooled tri-mode seeker makes Small Diameter Bomb II an effective weapon for the warfighter and an affordable weapon for the taxpayer."

During the tests, a seeker built on an active production line was mounted on a UH-1 helicopter and tracked moving targets from different distances, angles and altitudes using uncooled imaging infrared (IIR) and millimeter-wave (MMW) radar modes. The tests met all objectives and set the stage for a free-flight test in 2012.

Small Diameter Bomb II
SDB II's integrated tri-mode seeker fuses MMW radar, uncooled IIR and semiactive laser sensors on a single gimbal, which enables the weapon to seek and destroy targets despite weather conditions.

+ SDB II uses an uncooled tri-mode seeker to hit moving targets in adverse weather conditions.

+ The SDB II program is performing on cost and ahead of schedule.

+ The tests met all objectives and put the program on track for a free-flight test in 2012.