No Protest

The Boeing-Lockheed Martin team that lost the Air Force's Small Diameter Bomb II competition this week will not protest the service's decision to the Government Accountability Office, company officials said early this afternoon.

“After a thorough and detailed debrief by the U.S. Air Force this week, the Boeing Company has decided not to file a protest with the Government Accountability Office regarding the SDB II contract announcement,” said Debra Rub, vice president, Boeing Weapons. “We appreciate the Air Force’s professionalism, and Boeing will remain a committed partner with the [Department] of Defense by continuing to provide the [Joint Direct Attack Munition] and SDB family of products that will protect the lives of American war fighters across the globe.”

The Air Force selected a Raytheon-designed SDB II and awarded the company a $450 million contract on Aug. 9. Boeing builds the baseline SDB, which is currently operational and deployed. The new version of the weapon can attack moving targets in bad weather.