Seen being displayed at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024, the StormBreaker will equip Belgium's fleet of F-35A combat aircraft. (Janes/Tom Barton)
The US government has approved the sale to Belgium of the RTX GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) IIs (now known more commonly as StormBreaker) for its fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters.
The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on 25 July, saying that a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of up to 196 SDBs could be provided to equip the 34 F-35As on order with the Belgian Air Component (BAC). The acquisition is estimated to be valued at USD115 million, including related equipment, spares, support, and training.
βThe proposed sale will improve Belgium's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining its F-35 fleet in combat-ready status and providing a credible deterrent to regional threats,β the DSCA said.
The F-35A can carry up to eight SDB I/IIs in its twin internal weapons bays.
For more information on the StormBreaker, please see Farnborough 2024: RTX touts StormBreaker record, prioritises newest AMRAAM production .
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