IAF receives first batch of Small Diameter Bombs
IAF receives first batch of Small Diameter Bombs.
The 250-lb. (113.6-kg.) bomb was developed by Boeing Company as a low-cost weapon capable of high-precision and low-collateral damage strikes. Israel received approval from Congress in late 2008 to buy 1,000 units.
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Israel is the first country outside of the United States to receive the weapon.
The IAF has named the new bomb “Sharp Hail.” The total cost of the deal was $77 million.
The GPS-guided SDB is said to be one of the most accurate bombs in the world. It has the same penetration capabilities as a normal 900-kg. bomb, although it has only 22.7 kg. of explosives. At just 1.75 meters long, its small size increases the number of bombs an aircraft can carry and the number of targets it can attack in a sortie.
Tests conducted in the US have proven that the bomb can penetrate at least 90 cm. of steel-reinforced concrete.
The GBU-39 can be used in adverse weather and has a standoff range of more than 110 km. due to its pop-out wings.
This enables aircraft to attack more targets per sortie, since each weapon’s station can carry four bombs.
The first planes to have the GBU-39 are the IAF’s F- 15Is – which can carry around 20 of the bombs on its wings and fuselage, turning the aircraft into what defense officials termed a “killing machine.”
The new weaponry is slated to become operational within the IAF in the future and it is possible that the air force will decide, at a later stage, to upgrade its fleet of F-16Is so they too can carry the bombs.
Israel will receive its first shipment of Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits, which can be installed on existing bombs to increase their ability to hit moving targets.
The JDAM is a low-cost guidance kit that converts existing unguided free-fall bombs into accurately guided “smart” weapons. The JDAM kit consists of a tail section that contains a Global Positioning System (GPS) and body improvements for additional stability and lift.
The newer version of the JDAM adds a laser seeker to the nose of a JDAM-equipped bomb, which improves its ability to hit moving targets with greater accuracy.
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WarSclerotic 
November 8, 2010 at 6:47 PM
THESE WILL BE PERFECT WEAPONS FOR TAKING OUT HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS MILITARY STATIONS AND COMMANDS AS WELL AS ALL THE MECHANIZED EQUIPMENT TOO. THE PENETRATION COULD PROBABLY LAY DOWN SOME TRACKS FOR THE BIGGER MUNITIONS THAT WOULD TAKEOUT THE NUCLEAR PLANTS AND MISSILE COMMANDS TOO. AFTER ALL WE WOULD WANT TO KNOCK DOWN COMMUNICATIONS AND MILITARY READINESS AT THE SAME TIME THEN THE SECOND WAVE COULD DESTROY THE NUCLEAR STATIONS AFTER THE CIVILIAN POPULATION EVACUATED. REDUCING CASUALTIES OF THE CIVILIAN POPULATIONS. ALL THAT IS NESSESSSARY IS TO DEGRADE THE MILTARY USE OF NUCLEAR GRADE WEAPONS FOR AS LONG A PERIOD OF TIME AS POSSIBLE. THEN AFTER THE IRANIAN AND SYRIAN REGIMES FAL WE COULD RE-ESTABLISH THE DEMOCARTICGOVERNMENT WITH A BETTER SYSTEM. HELPING THEM FOR THE LONG TERM RECOVERY FROM A TERRORIST JIHADIST DICTATORSHIP.