Stealth bomber joins carrier fighters, wielding anti-ship cruise missiles. This unprecedented Air Force-Navy synergy redefines maritime strike capabilities.
by Kris Osborn, Warrior
The famous, bat-like B-2 has for years been known for its upgraded stealth, advanced weapons and high-altitude bombing capabilities against largely fixed ground targets … yet technological advances in networking and weaponry now enable the “bomber” to attack and destroy moving targets “at sea.” This is a large-scale expansion of the B-2s operational capacity, enabled by bomber-fighter jet interoperability and newly configured, precision-guided, air dropped anti-ship weapons, bringing new tactical options for Commanders seeking to destroy surface ships from the air.
Air Force - Navy Anti-Ship Attack
The concept is not only to enable the B-2 to enlarge its operational sphere, but also to generate multi-domain, multi-service networking and targeting collaboration. Specifically, a B-2 armed with anti-ship missiles would be well positioned to support Navy fighter jets taking off from carriers and amphibs. This Air Force-Navy synergy is being practiced off the coast of California with F-35Cs and F/A-18s from the Carrier Air Wing of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group training with Air Force B-2s configured with anti-ship weapons.
The US Air Force arms its fleet of B-2 bombers to destroy enemy surface ships with modified Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) configured with a special high-tech seeker designed to track moving warships. The US Air Force Research Laboratory effort, called QUICKSINK, not only brings new dimensions of multi-domain attack to the famous B-2 but also enables "mass" to a greater degree as it reconfigures traditional precision-guided JDAMS.
Lower-Cost QUICKSINK
Unlike more exquisite and expensive air-fired anti-ship weapons such as the LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile), JDAMs are lower cost and capable of being dropped in larger numbers on an enemy at sea. Potentially, a QUICKSINK-capable B-2 armed with JDAMs configured for maritime attack might have success destroying an enemy carrier or carrier strike group from high-altitudes with a large volume of air-dropped precision firepower.
A significant write up on QUICKSINK from the Air Force Research Laboratory describes the effort as a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) ...... which creates air-delivered, low-cost, surface vessel defeat capability for the warfighter.
"Key to the demonstration (of QUICKSINK) is the Air Force Research Laboratory development of a Weapon Open Systems Architecture (WOSA) seeker for precision targeting of maritime surface vessels at a low-cost. This JCTD uses an existing guidance kit integrated with the new seeker to rapidly demonstrate the capability at minimal costs," the AFRL writes in an essay. "The WOSA seeker also allows the technology to be included on a variety of current and future weapons systems and enables them to engage static and moving maritime targets."
Fighter Jet-Bomber Joint Attack
It would seem that a high-altitude stealthy attack on an enemy maritime warfare surface formation could prove both effective and highly survivable. Surface ships not only have far reaching deck-mounted guns but are also armed with anti-aircraft weapons, sensors and interceptor missiles of all ranges. With the QUICKSINK program, a B-2 could deliver both mass and precision in a multi-domain bombing attack much less detectable and targetable than fighter jets or larger, less-stealthy bombers. A B-2 armed with anti-ship missiles could also greatly strengthen a large-scale air attack on enemy ships by bringing more ordnance to support fighter jets and adding more stealthy “points of attack.” With the proper networking technologies in place, ship-launched jets and B-2 bombers could exchange ISR data and targeting information in real time to coordinate anti-ship strikes from the air.
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University