October 1, 2007: The U.S. Air Force is getting its new F-22
stealth fighter ready for service in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though
air force generals insist this is not likely to happen. Last month, an
F-22 successfully dropped its first SDB (small diameter bomb). This is
a completely new smart bomb design, weighing only 250 pound (PHOTO). This
weapon has a shape that's more like that of a missile than a bomb (70
inches long, 190 millimeters in diameter), with the guidance system built
in.
The smaller blast from the SDB is still pretty substantial
(51 pounds of explosives). A new SDB design has a Focused Lethality
Munition (FLM) warhead, which reduces the number of metal fragments
created when the bomb explodes, and increases the blast effect. This is
meant to reduce casualties to nearby civilians.
An F-22 can carry eight SDBs in its internal bomb bays, in
addition to four air-to-air missiles. But why send F-22 into Iraq and
Afghanistan? There are several reasons. One is combat experience. OK,
there are plenty of A-10s, F-16s and F-18s available to drop smart bombs,
so why use an F-22? Because the F-22 has not been in a combat zone yet,
and you need to see how the aircraft reacts to the stresses and
conditions only found in a combat zone. But there are other reasons as
well. Iraq is right next to Syria and Iran, two countries with lots of
Russian air defense radars that F-22s can play with. Afghanistan also has
Iran as a neighbor, as well as a small border with China. Letting
those countries get a look at the F-22 also has some psychological
impact.
Moreover, lacking an air-to-air opponent, dropping smart
bombs for ground troops might be the only work F-22s will get for a
while. This CAS (Close Air Support) mission is all the air force has been
doing for the past four years. Might as well get the F-22 in shape for
it.
