Air Force tests new anti-ship tactics and munitions
By James Webb
Sep 3, 09:42 AM
Three F-15E Strike Eagles from the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron supported a test as part of the QUICKSINK Joint Capability Technology Demonstration on Aug. 26, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt Lindsey Heflin)
What was old is once again new. In an effort reminiscent of U.S. aerial attacks in the Pacific theater during World War II, the Air Force announced that an F-15E used a specially developed GBU-31 2,000lb Joint Direct Attack Munition, along with new tactics, on a moving ship.
However, unlike the SBD Dauntless or Helldivers of yesteryear, the F-15E isn’t designed for naval warfare. Nor, according to the Air Force, is the JDAM an “ideal” weapon for attacking ships.
“For any large moving ship, the Air Force’s primary weapon is the 2,000-pound laser-guided GBU-24,” Maj. Andrew Swanson, 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron F-15E weapons system officer, said in a release. “Not only is this weapon less than ideal, it also reduces our survivability based on how it must be employed.”
https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2021/09/03/air-force-tests-new-anti-ship-tactics-and-munitions/
