The U.S. Air Force destroyed a ship using a kit that converted a cheap dumb bomb into a precision anti-ship missile. During RIMPAC SINKEX in the Gulf of Mexico in July, a B-1 bomber sank the wrecked MV Monarch Countess with Quicksink ammunition.
Modern weapons systems are incredibly effective, with a single small warhead capable of destroying a target that would once have required a carpet bombing attack or heavy artillery fire. Unfortunately, they are also expensive, and as the current geopolitical situation suggests a return to large-scale peer-to-peer conflict, cheaper alternatives that are easier to stockpile have become more attractive.
An example of this is anti-ship weapons. The most suitable weapon for this is a torpedo such as the US Type 46 torpedo, which can deliver 96.8 lb (43.9 kg) of high explosive PBXN-103 to a target and detonate under its keel, destroying the ship by breaking its back.
QUICK WASH
Unfortunately, there are a few problems. First, the Type 46 costs $1.2 million per shot. Second, firing one gives away the presence of an attacking submarine. Then there’s the fact that even the fastest submarine has limited ability to intercept targets over a wide area.
As the United States and its allies face the challenge of keeping peace in the vast Indo-Pacific region, the ideal solution would be a weapon that can be rapidly deployed over long distances and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. That means an anti-ship weapon that can be delivered by the U.S. Air Force.
Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory Munitions Directorate at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the Quicksink is designed to be carried by both fighter and bomber aircraft. It is essentially a variation of the JDAM system, which turns dumb iron bombs into smart munitions by providing a kit that attaches to the bomb to give it an airfoil and a guidance system. The Quicksink is similar to a type used to deliver naval mines to vulnerable locations, but it has a laser sensor attached to the nose of the bomb, allowing it to be zeroed in on stationary or moving surface ships.
US Air Force
Using a modular, open architecture design based on existing technology, the Quicksink can deliver the lethality of a torpedo at a cost of just $300,000 per shell. By delivering it as a stand-off weapon using a stealth fighter or bomber, it can engage more targets at a greater range than any submarine.
One disadvantage some have pointed out is that, as a glide bomb, the Quicksink has a range of only 40 nm (46 mi, 74 km), making the attacking aircraft vulnerable to anti-aircraft defenses. However, the Quicksink is designed to be dropped from stealth aircraft flying at high speed and altitude. More importantly, its intended targets are unescorted ships that may carry contraband or act as concealed missile platforms that do not have the defenses of a warship.
SINKEX is not the first time the Quicksink has been demonstrated, but it has been tested against other anti-ship weapons and in collaboration with participants from Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea and the US Air Force, Army and Navy.
“The development of this technology helps ensure the technological edge that will enable the United States to defend its interests, maintain freedom of action, and seize the initiative in vast maritime domains,” said Col. Matthew Caspers, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Munitions Directorate.
Source: AFRL