Boeing [NYSE:BA] received an $18.5 million contract today from the U.S. Air Force to begin low-rate initial production of the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB).
Under this contract, Boeing will produce 201 SDBs and 35 carriages.
"Boeing is delivering exactly what the U.S. Air Force asked for," said Boeing SDB Program Manager Dan Jaspering. "It's small, has a 60 nautical mile standoff range, and is very accurate. In 21 flight tests, SDB has demonstrated its capabilities against real targets with unprecedented accuracy."
The all-weather SDB weapons system holds four SDBs and is compatible with every U.S. fighter and bomber aircraft. At 71 inches long, this 250-pound weapon quadruples the weapons load on each aircraft. The SDB will first be deployed on the Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle in 2006.