Air Force tests new ship-killing bomb variant
By Stephen Losey
Wednesday, Jun 11, 2025
The Air Force has tested a new variation of its ship-killing Quicksink guided bomb to expand its options for taking out enemy vessels in a future war.
In a June 4 statement, the service said it dropped a 500-pound version of Quicksink, made from a GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, from a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Eglin Air Force Base’s Gulf Test Range off the coast of Florida. Previous Quicksink tests were conducted with 2,000-pound bombs.
Quicksink is the Air Force Research Laboratory’s effort to strengthen its ability to take out enemy ships. This capability would be particularly important in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan, which would likely involve grueling fighting in the Pacific Ocean and require U.S. forces to destroy Chinese ships.
Previous tests used modified GBU-31 JDAMs to destroy target vessels. Those JDAMs are guided by GPS and use fins to steer towards the target as they fall.
https://www.defensenews.com/air/2025/06/11/air-force-tests-new-ship-killing-bomb-variant/
