Air Force announces winner in Small Diameter Bomb competition

(EXCERPT) PRESS RELEASE -- Secretary of the Air Force, Directorate of
Public Affairs

Release No. 0828039 Aug 28, 2003

Air Force announces winner in Small Diameter Bomb competition

Washington, D.C. - Dr. Marvin Sambur, the assistant secretary of the
Air Force for Acquisition, announced today the selection of McDonnell
Douglas (a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company), St. Louis,
for the development, production and support of the Small Diameter Bomb
(SDB) weapon system.

Dr. Sambur's announcement concludes a 24-month downselect, during
which McDonnell Douglas and Lockheed Martin, Orlando, Fla., conducted
component advanced design activities and testing.

The SDB weapon system consists of a 250-pound class munition, a
carriage system, an accuracy enhancement system, associated mission
planning and logistics support. The SDB, designed to be compatible
with the majority of Air Force fighters and bombers, is capable of
significant standoff ranges against fixed and stationary relocatable
targets. SDB increases weapons loadout, allowing more kills per sortie
than current inventory weapons and possesses an effective, day/night,
adverse weather, stand-off capability.

McDonnell Douglas will receive a contract for the Systems Development
and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the SDB program. The SDD phase allows
continued development and testing of a production representative
system. No contract will be awarded at this time but the value of the
SDD portion of the effort is estimated to be $188 million.

The SDD contract will be awarded after the program has completed all
actions required for initiation of the SDD phase and upon confirmation
by the Defense Acquisition Board, currently scheduled for October.
During the next 15 years the Air Force intends to procure 24,000 SDB
weapons and 2,000 carriage systems at a total cost of approximately
$2.5 billion.

The Lethal Strike Joint Program Office, Air Armament Center, Eglin Air
Force Base, Fla., manages the SDB program. McDonnell Douglas intends
to perform SDD activities at their St Charles, Mo., facility.

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---------------------------
Otis Willie
Associate Librarian
The American War Library
http://www.americanwarlibrary.com