"Britain's F-35 fighter fleet is set to carry US-made glide bombs as an interim measure until delayed F-35 software updates from Lockheed Martin add support for the SPEAR 3 mini-cruise missile intended for the aircraft."
"The SPEAR missile is intended to fulfil this requirement, but although it is ready and passed test firings in 2024, the F-35 is not currently able to operate it. This capability should have been delivered by now through the Block 4 software update from F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin, but this has met with a series of delays. It is now expected in 2031, five years behind schedule."
"Permanent Secretary at the MoD Jeremy Pocklington wrote back in a letter that approval has been given to proceed with a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) procurement of the precision-guided munition, Small Diameter Bomb (SDB II). "This acquisition will provide the F-35 with an interim stand-off capability until the introduction of SPEAR 3 into service," he stated."
"SDB II, designated GBU-53/B StormBreaker in US service, is a roughly 200-pound (93 kg) bomb with fold-out wings to allow it to glide to a target up to 69 miles (111 km) away. It has a tri-mode seeker in the nose that lets it use radar, infrared, or laser tracking to home in."
Britain’s F-35 fleet will carry US-made glide bombs as an interim stand-off measure until delayed software updates enable operation of the SPEAR 3 mini-cruise missile. The SPEAR 3 weapon is intended to provide ground-attack capability from a safe distance, but the aircraft cannot currently employ it despite successful test firings in 2024. Block 4 software delivery has slipped repeatedly and is now expected in 2031. The Ministry of Defence approved a Foreign Military Sales procurement of Small Diameter Bomb (SDB II), designated GBU-53/B StormBreaker in US service. StormBreaker weighs about 200 pounds and uses fold-out wings to glide up to 69 miles, guided by a tri-mode seeker using radar, infrared, or laser tracking.
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