USAF tests 500 lb Quicksink anti-ship munition
USAF personnel load JDAMs aboard a B-2 at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, in preparation for a Quicksink test. The B-2 can carry up to 80 of the newly tested 500 lb Quicksink munitions. (Air Force Research Laboratory)
The US Air Force's (USAF's) Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) drop tested a 500 lb (226.7 kg) version of the Quicksink munition in the Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) Gulf Test Range, according to a 4 June statement. Quicksink equips bombs with a dedicated anti-ship seeker and steering fins, much as the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) programme does for land attack targets.
The munition was dropped from a Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit; it is unclear when the test occurred or whether a target was struck. AFRL had not responded to Janes questions at the time of publication.
“Quicksink offers an affordable, game-changing solution to rapidly and efficiently sink maritime targets,” said Colonel Dan Lehoski, commander of Eglin AFB's 53rd Wing, which was involved with the testing.
The first Quicksink variant was a 2,000 lb bomb, dropped in 2021 from a Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle. The first launch from a B-2 occurred in 2024 at Exercise ‘Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC)', when a Quicksink munition sank the former USS Tarawa, an amphibious assault ship.
Quicksink was developed by AFRL as a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) programme in conjunction with the US Navy (USN). Initially guided by GPS to fixed co-ordinates, the BAE Systems-developed multimode seeker then takes over to detect targets and guide the weapon to impact.
For more information, please seeAFRL set for further Quicksink tests .
Go beyond the headlines - with direct links to interconnected entities
Get full access to validated equipment, military capabilities, and market insights.
