Italy’s Oto Melara, USA’s Boeing to Co-produce SDB I for Italian Air Force
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Italian defense company Oto Melara and Boeing Defense, Space & Security in St. Louis, MO, agreed to co-produce the Small Diameter Bomb Increment I (SDB I) weapon system (GBU-39 SDB) for the Italian Air Force.
SDB I [pdf] is a 250-pound precision strike weapon with a GPS-aided inertial guidance system. It incorporates a steel case and penetrating blast-fragmentation warhead, as well as deployable wings for extended range.
Under the terms of the $34 million contract, Boeing will provide SDB I mechanical and electrical components and test equipment to Oto Melara for production of 500 tactical weapons (GBU-39 SDBs), 50 four-place weapon carriages (BRU-61/A), and associated support equipment…
In addition, Boeing will provide technical assistance in establishing a production facility in Italy. Oto Melara will provide various components and complete final weapon assembly and testing.
The GBU-39 SDB has a range of up to 37 miles and an accuracy rating of just 16-26 feet CEP. The size and accuracy of SDBs allow aircraft to carry more munitions to more targets, and strike them more effectively with less collateral damage.
The SDB system is designed to fit on current fighter/bomber external smart stations and in the internal bays of the F-22A and F-35 fighters, UCAS, and B-2 bomber.
The SDB I co-production project follows previous joint collaborations between Oto Melara and Boeing, including production of about 1,000 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kits for the Italian Air Force.
