The State Department has approved a possible $815 million sale of Small Diameter Bombs to Australia.
In an Oct. 2 statement, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the State Department had approved the potential sale of up to 3,900 GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II) weapons to Australia. The deal could also involve up to 30 GBU-53/B Guided Test Vehicles and 60 GBU-53/B Captive Carry Reliability Trainers, according to the statement.
Altogether, the deal could be worth as much as $815 million. Raytheon Missile Systems is the prime contractor on the SDB II program.
DSCA's statement notes the sale would complement the ongoing sale of F-35A aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force.
“This capability will strengthen combined operations, particularly air to ground strike missions in all-weather conditions, and increase interoperability between the United States and the RAAF,” DSCA states.
The SDB II is still in development and testing. The weapon is being developed with a tri-mode seeker and a two-way data link, according to Raytheon. In a June press release, the company said SDB II had completed high-speed wind tunnel tests using scale models of the weapon and the F-35. The SDB-II is not expected to be deployed on the F-35 until 2022, according to the release.