laststandonzombieisland

“Rapidus Obruo” = I am overwhelmed by the rapidity

The Air Force Research Laboratory recently vetted a 500-pound variant of the Quicksink system in live-fire tests conducted via a B-2 from the Air Combat Command’s 53rd Wing out of Eglin AFB.

We’ve talked about Quicksink before, which takes a “dumb” bomb and adds a guidance kit to it to make a ship-hungry LGB, essentially a “Maritime JDAM.” The Air Force has been stacking up wrecks off the Florida coast at a steady pace.

Why the big deal about a 500-pound Quicksink? Capacity, baby.

A single B-52, in theory, could carry as many as 24 such munitions internally in its post-IWBU carriage, while a B-2 could tote a staggering 80. Speaking of Naval Air, a P-8 Poseidon could carry at least five internally, while an F-18E/F could carry a dozen, albeit with a much shorter range, while the F-35 could carry a six-pack in its weapons bay.

“Quicksink offers an affordable, game-changing solution to rapidly and efficiently sink maritime targets,” said Col. Dan Lehoski, 53rd Wing commander. “AFRL’s 500-pound Quicksink variant adds options for the warfighter and enhances operational flexibility.”