The wait is on for who'll blink first between the United States and Russia
as the tension between both countries hits the roof.
For the US military forces, though, there's no time to wait. In fact, testing has already
begun for a new deadly smart weapon that will be unleashed on Russia if things go south.
It's called the GBU-53 StormBreaker - a satellite-powered bomb capable
of destroying stationary or moving targets with overwhelming force at any time of day
and in all weather conditions.
Join us in today's video as we discuss
this all-new lethal smart bomb that is making Russia panic.
What Are Smart Bombs? What Makes StormBreaker Different?
What Are Its Features? How Many Does The US Military Have?
And When Will It Be Tested? Let's find out together.
A dramatic war in the 1960s necessitated the emergence of smart bombs.
Early on in the war against North Vietnam,
the United States marked out 27 key infrastructure targets for destruction. And thanks to their ever
potent military firepower, 26 of those targets were destroyed from the air.
However, the Thanh Hoa bridge, the 14th name on the list of targets, remained standing.
During the mission tagged “Operation Rolling Thunder,”
about 80 aircraft under the command of Lt. Col. Robinson Risner headed for the bridge.
Despite the fact that half of this air fleet was armed with 750-pound general-purpose bombs,
they were unable to drop the target. One stunned US air force pilot reported
how the warheads literally bounced off the target, earning it the nickname “Dragon Jaw.”
The US wasn't ready to back down. So, the next day, Lt. Col Risner led another team of 46
F-105s to unleash 300 bombs on the bridge. Guess what? The Dragon Jaw survived the assault.
The attack remained consistent over the next couple of years,
but target 27 remained standing until the American forces finally discovered the problem.
That event led to the invention of smart bombs, and the Dragon Jaw was smashed to pieces.
It did come at a cost because more than 800 sorties and 10
aircraft were lost before the target was eventually conquered. However,
the lessons learned would become important for many generations to come.
In fact, the importance of smart bombs has continued to grow over time. And if you ask
out honest opinion, we believe that smart bombs will determine the outcome of future combats.
What Are Smart Bombs? Smart bombs or smart missiles are
precision-guided munitions. Essentially, they're the same as regular bombs, except that they work
with an electronic sensor system, built-in control system, adjustable wings, and battery.
Hitting ground targets with regular bombs requires extra effort from pilots
because bombs that are not steered or guided fall without precision.
To get a shot at the target, bombers were required to get really close to the scene,
and most times, they needed dozens and hundreds of shots to make a significant impact.
Smart bombs, on the other hand, have laser-like precision. The moment they
are released, they head straight for a pre-designated target and do the damage.
What Makes StormBreaker Different?
Smart bombs have been in existence for a few years. This is the Fritz X guided anti-ship
glide bomb belonging to Germany. Israel has SPICE 2000 bombs. Here's the FT PGB,
a Chinese precision-guided munitions program. Russia is not left out either, with the KAB-500
KAB-1500 and the PBK-500U resting pretty well in its arsenal.
However, none of these comes close to the GBU-53 StormBreaker smart bomb
in terms of precision and efficiency. It is the smartest of all smart bombs ever made.
Initially known as the Small Diameter Bomb, this munition measures 69 inches in length
and between 6 to 7 inches in diameter, making it one of the smallest artillery in the world. Yet,
military experts claim it's one of the deadliest to ever exist.
What Are Its Features? Formerly known as the
Small Diameter Bomb Increment II, the StormBreaker smart bomb weighs 204 pounds
and is accompanied by a 105-pound warhead. This precision-guided munition uses a
combination of high-end technologies including, millimeter-wave radar, imaging infrared,
GPS coupled inertial guidance , and data link to hunt down all types of targets.
These technologies enable the StormBreaker to function efficiently at any time of
the day and under adverse weather conditions like heavy smoke and fog.
“StormBreaker is the only weapon that enables pilots to hit moving targets
during bad weather or if dust and smoke are in the area,” a top official of the
We hear that this impressive weapon can detect, track, and strike stationary
targets with laser-like precision from 69 miles away and moving targets from 45 miles.
It even has a special connectivity suite that allows the trajectory of the missile
to be changed mid-air. This means a StormBreaker bomb could be redirected to trail a new target
even after it has been launched. Currently, it’s being integrated on
the F-15E Strike Eagle. According to reports, this aircraft can carry up to 28 StormBreaker
missiles. But that number is expected to increase when it’s eventually integrated
into modern fighter jets like the F-35, F/A-22, F-16C/D, F/A-18E, and the B series aircraft.
Unconfirmed reports believe that the StormBreaker will also be compatible with autonomous aircraft.
Before we move on to the next section, if you've made it this far,
please make sure to like and subscribe for more content like this. Also,
comment “i subbed” down below for a chance to get a free shoutout in our next video.
How Many Does The US Military Have?
The StormBreaker program began officially in 2006 when the US military awarded a $144m
contract to Raytheon technologies in April 2006. Since then, more than $1 billion has
been spent to acquire around 17 thousand precision-guided StormBreaker munitions.
A couple of US allies, including South Korea, Australia.
Back in 2017, an agreement was reached for the United States to sell 3,900 StormBreaker glide
bombs to the Royal Australian Airforce. But we cannot confirm if this deal was completed or not.
One thing we can confirm, though is that the US military is pleased with Raytheon’s services.
Owing to the good work it did with the StormBreaker,
the aerospace and defense conglomerate received a $2.1 billion contract from the US
missile Defense Agency in May 2020 to develop Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB interceptors.
When Will It Be Tested? Apparently, the United States
military has begun testing the StormBreaker smart bombs already. You wouldn't blame them,
though, because some scary and unprecedented occurrences are playing out right before our eyes.
Particularly in Russia’s case, where human rights are being trampled upon without
any consequences whatsoever. And even more painfully, innocent lives are being wasted,
and infrastructures that took years to build are being wiped out overnight.
And although the United States has taken a more diplomatic stance to this war,
there's no doubt that the leader of the free world will respond accordingly.
Last November, during a trial session at the Utah Test and Training Range,
four F-15E aircraft carrying StormBreaker missiles were unleashed on moving vehicles.
Much to the delight of the military officials present,
the four F-15E Strike Eagles took out their targets at the first attempt.
Still in November, another test was conducted, but this time with the F-35B aircraft.
“By stress-testing the weapon in an operational environment, we are even more confident in the
weapon’s ability to strike targets in difficult conditions,” Alison Howlett,
StormBreaker’s program director at Raytheon Missiles and Defense, said.
The US Navy is expected to approve the use of StormBreakers on Super Hornet fighter jets
during combat operations. But this event could be hastened by Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
“The SDB II StormBreaker is ready for operational use after undergoing
extensive development and flight testing,” Air Force Colonel Jason Rusco reiterated.
We know for a fact that the United States currently provides
military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine. So, there's a possibility that the Ukrainian forces
might receive some StormBreaker bombs to repel Russia’s unprovoked aggression.
In a worst-case scenario, the United States military forces could use this
smart bomb to defeat Russia if the cold war between both countries escalates.
The United States has the most efficient and effective military force in the world.
The invention of the StormBreaker will further strengthen this position.
But more importantly, it is a stern note of warning to Russia,
China, and North Korea to tread carefully.
What do you make of the StormBreaker smart bomb?
Be sure to check out this video over here.