Quicksink Smart Bomb: How an F-15 Sunk a Massive Cargo Ship in 40 Seconds
Story by Christian Orr • Sunday
American airpower pioneer Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was the groundbreaker when it came to demonstrating the ability of warplanes to sink large enemy vessels. This took place on July 21, 1921, when Mitchell’s airmen, via the dropping of six 2,000-lb. bombs, sank the 22,448-ton German battleship Ostfriesland – a veteran of the epic WWI Battle of Jutland – thus proving that airplanes could sink capital ships. However, much controversy surrounded this accomplishment: among other things, the Ostfriesland was at anchor and unable to maneuver and there was no defensive antiaircraft (triple-A) fire to hinder the aerial attacks.
Big Bomb vs. Big Boat Back Then Part Deux: “Tallboy v. Tirpitz
By WWII warplanes repeatedly demonstrated the ability to sink battleships in actual wartime conditions, in spite of the latter being able to both maneuver and put up a triple-A fire defensive screen. Arguably the most dramatic and efficient instance of bombers killing a battleship took place at Operation Catechism on November 12, 1944, when RAF Lancaster bombers, packing 12,000-lb. “Tallboy” bombs, attacked the 42,200-ton Kriegsmarine battleship Tirpitz and scored two direct hits along with a near miss, which caused the vessel to capsize and sink rapidly, with death toll estimates varying from 950 to 1,204 crewmen.
Big Bomb vs. Big Boat Now: “Quicksink” v. Courageous
Time and technology have allowed for the next generation of anti-ship warfare. The Quicksink program has turned out a smart bomb that is essentially an iteration of the 2,000-lb. Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) “which creates air-delivered, low-cost, surface vessel defeat capability for the warfighter … This JCTD uses an existing guidance kit integrated with the new seeker to rapidly demonstrate the capability at minimal costs … 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.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/quicksink-smart-bomb-how-an-f-15-sunk-a-massive-cargo-ship-in-40-seconds/ar-AA1adP7l?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=260c26e4ecd44ff0936d2580614b1cf6&ei=70
