The United States government has authorized the possible sale of new GBU-53 glide bombs to equip the fighter aircraft of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. This approval is reflected in one of the most recent notifications issued by the State Department to the U.S. Congress, aimed at greenlighting the operation under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program, valued at US$82 million.
Promoted under the name StormBreaker, the GBU-53/B—also designated by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) as the “Small Diameter Bomb II”—is a precision-guided glide bomb.
Among its main features is the presence of a tri-mode seeker with infrared imaging and a millimeter-wave radar that can “see through fog, smoke, and rain, able to glide more than 72 km,” according to U.S. company Raytheon. The weapon offers the options of “adding propulsion” or “changing the seeker,” depending on the mission, and can be launched from one platform while being controlled from another. It can also be used to attack and destroy enemy armored vehicles.
According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) report dated November 19, the Japanese government requested authorization from the United States to purchase up to twenty-eight (28) units. The package, valued at the aforementioned US$82 million, lists Boeing and RTX Corporation as its primary contractors. However, this request is in addition to others previously submitted to equip the Japan Air Self-Defense Force.
Specifically, and as highlighted in the official document, the authorization includes the sale of up to one hundred and twenty (120) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs–Increment I (SDB-I), supplemented by JDAM guidance kits for GBU-31/32/38 bombs, as well as 500-lb MK 82 and 2,000-lb MK 84 general-purpose bombs, and 1,000-lb BLU-110 bombs.
The State Department noted: “The proposed sale will enhance Japan’s capability to meet current and future threats by providing long-range strike capability through advanced extended-range systems for employment on the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s combat aircraft. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these items and services into its armed forces.”
Cover photo used for illustration purposes only.
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