U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthogs can now employ up to 16 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs) on a single sortie, among other stores, with the help of a new software update. Four of the five pylons under the fuselage were recently loaded with specialized bomb racks each holding four SDBs during a test sortie to validate the software for frontline distribution.
Photos released by the Department of Defense show the Warthog recently kitted out with different SDB configurations, including one with 16 SDBs and one with eight SDBs and a centerline fuel tank, at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. According to the image captions, the recent tests took place between April 19-20, and saw personnel attached to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) assess an updated version of Operation Flight Program (OFP) 11 – software that controls aircraft avionics and enables the integration of weapons.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, assigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) takes off for a test mission, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, April 20, 2023. This is the first time the 422nd TES has carried GBU-39s with a filled centerline fuel tank. The focus of this test was to evaluate aircraft climb and endurance performance under heavy weight and the ability to carry and employ a large number of weapons over long distances
As part of the newer version of OFP 11, the 422nd TES specifically tested an updated software patch that supports two additional GBU-39/B SDB racks being fitted under A-10s. This test marked the first time the 422nd TES “carried and employed all four bomb racks of [16] GBU-39/Bs on a single jet,” the image captions note. As The War Zone reported in August of last year, initial carriage tests of SDBs loaded under A-10s had already been completed by the 422nd TES, with live-fire tests soon to follow. The wider A-10 fleet, as we also noted last August, is expected to receive SDB upgrades this year.
The GBU-39/B SDB is an air-launched precision weapon. With initial low-rate production beginning in 2005, the standard GBU-39/B features a combination inertial navigation system with a GPS guidance system, while the GBU-39B/B adds laser guidance. At just 250 pounds, the GBU-39/B provides A-10 pilots with greater ability to make precision standoff strikes compared to Joint Direct Attack Munitions and AGM-65 Maverick missiles due to the SDB’s ability to glide for dozens of miles to its target. While light in weight, SDBs still pack a formidable punch and can even penetrate hardened structures.
Photos: U.S. Air Force – William R. Lewis
Source: The Drive