The House Armed Services Committee wants the Air Force to explore cheaper dual-mode weapons even as Raytheon's tri-mode GBU-53, the Small Diameter Bomb II, prepares to reach initial operational capability on the F-15E in fiscal year 2019. "The committee supports continued development, production, and fielding of the GBU--53," according to the July 6 report accompanying the committee's mark of the FY-18 defense policy bill. "However, the committee also encourages the Department of the Air Force to look at less-expensive dual-mode...
