We now have our first full look at a modified 2,000-pound-class GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, optimized for use as an anti-ship munition as part of the U.S. Air Force’s Quicksink program. The Air Force has been pursuing Quicksink as a lower-cost means of bolstering its capacity to launch strikes on enemy ships.
The Air Force released pictures of Quicksink GBU-31s yesterday. The image set also shows smaller 500-pound-class GBU-38 JDAMs, but it is not entirely clear if they are in the Quicksink configuration. All of the pictures were taken ahead of a recent test that saw a B-2 bomber “sink” an unspecified “maritime target” in the Norwegian Sea with at least one of the modified JDAMs.
TWZ had previously reached out to the Air Force for more information after a B-2 bomber was tracked online flying from Whiteman Air Force Base toward northern Europe last week.
Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighters participated in the event, as well. A picture also shows a Norwegian P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol plane flying alongside the B-2 and the F-35s at one point, but it is unclear whether it directly took part in the test.
In addition to the 2,000 and 500-pound-class types, there are also 1,000-pound-class GBU-32 JDAMs. All JDAM kits consist of a tail section containing a GPS-assisted inertial navigation system (INS) guidance package and clamp-on aerodynamic strakes. It turns unguided bombs into ‘warheads’ for the resulting precision-guided munitions.
The pictures released yesterday show tail units marked “Quick Sink Only,” suggesting there might be a specialized configuration for use on these bombs. This could be in part due to a need to interface differently with the new imaging infrared seeker attached to the nose. The seeker gives the Quicksink bombs the ability to engage moving targets. Standard JDAMs can only be employed against a fixed set of target coordinates, though versions with add-on laser guidance capability (called Laser JDAMs or LJDAMs) that can be used against targets on the move exist, as well. Unlike the Quicksink configuration, LJDAMs are not fire-and-forget and require the target to be lased from a platform in relatively close proximity.
As shown in the video below, the Air Force has described Quicksink’s mode of operation as using GPS-assisted INS guidance to get to a designated target area before the seeker in the nose takes over. Though unpowered, standard JDAMs can glide out to targets around 15 miles away, depending on the weapon’s exact configuration and release envelope. Quicksink bombs then find and categorize their targets by checking their length against a detailed internal reference database. The seeker then feeds additional course correction data to the tail kit to put the weapon on a path to try to detonate right next to the target ship’s hull, just below the waterline. Initial cueing to the target, which could be provided to the launch platform from offboard sources, is necessary.
In addition, the image set released yesterday shows a Quicksink GBU-31 with a ‘warhead’ painted with large black-and-yellow bands. Large sections of the front and the back of the warhead on another one of the bombs are seen painted a red/pink color. That munition also has what looks to be a yellow band at the front.
In addition, as seen at the top of this story and below, the black-and-yellow-banded Quicksink bomb also has a cartoon bumblebee and the logo of the Autobots from the popular Transformers media franchise painted on the side. One of the more well-known Autobots is named Bumblebee.
What any of these markings might reflect is unknown. For munitions employed during tests, bright color choices could help make them more visible to assist with observing their performance. The markings might also just reflect nicknames or have other unofficial significance for the individuals working on the project.
The U.S. military does have standardized markings for ordnance to indicate their purpose and configuration, with yellow bands signifying live high-explosive contents. Black bands are often used to signify some type of purpose-designed armor-penetrating effect. Red markings on U.S. ordnance are often associated with incendiary effects, and to a more limited extent with tear gas and other so-called riot control agents. Globally, there have been instances of red markings on thermobaric munitions, as well. Thermobaric munitions are designed to create long-duration high-pressure blast waves, which then create vacuums resulting in reverse waves, leading to intense overpressure. In addition to the blast effect, this also produces very high heat.
However, there are no clear indications that anything besides standard ‘iron bombs’ were used to build the Quicksink munitions for the recent test.
TWZ has reached out to the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which has been managing the Quicksink effort, for more details. When reached separately for comment, the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, which has been involved in past Quicksink testing, told us that they could not provide any additional information about Quicksink at this time.
The recent test also highlights other aspects of the Quicksink effort that underscore its potential value, including pairing the bombs with the stealthy B-2 and the potential to employ them as part of future coalition operations with allies and partners.
“The B-2 played a central role, employing precision-guided QUICKSINK munitions to engage and sink the maritime target,” according to an Air Force press release on the test. “In addition to testing the munition’s capabilities, the mission also validated the aircraft’s enduring advantages, including its stealth, range, and payload flexibility, while reinforcing its evolving role in maritime strike.”
Not mentioned here are the magazine depth benefits that the B-2 offers. As TWZ has noted in the past, this could be especially valuable when with Quicksink munitions. Each one of the bombers has a maximum payload capacity of around 60,000 pounds and two especially cavernous bomb bays. The B-2 has a demonstrated ability to carry up to 80 500-pound-class JDAMs at once. This is so many bombs that during a separate test in the past, personnel at the sprawling Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) ran out of shipping containers to turn into targets for one of the bombers to hit during a single mock attack run. The crew of that aircraft had enough munitions to leave a smiley face made out of bomb craters, as you can read more about here. With all this in mind, a B-2 could also carry a substantial load of 500 and/or 2,000-pound class Quicksink-configured JDAMs in addition to other munitions.
Stealthy aircraft, in general, make good sense as launch platforms for Quicksink, given the need for the bombs to be released relatively close to potentially defended targeted ships, at least in their current form. Non-stealthy aircraft could still use Quicksink munitions, especially to help finish off damaged small surface combatants with already degraded defenses. They could also engage targets that are less-well-defended, or even essentially defenseless, to begin with, including vital, but typically more vulnerable sealift assets and civilian cargo vessels pressed into military service.
In general, Quicksink offers a valuable additional anti-ship tool for various aircraft, especially tactical jets, which may otherwise have limited, if any, options for munitions dedicated to this target set. Smaller aircraft could also carry more of the GBU-38-based versions per sortie compared to traditional anti-ship cruise missiles. Any Quicksink-armed aircraft could also be tasked with targeting ships at anchor, especially if their congested closely together, as well as engaging ones on the move.
The Air Force has been developing with low cost in mind, too. JDAM kits have historically cost between $20,000 and $30,000 apiece, with the unguided bombs that they are paired with adding a minimal increase to the total price point. AFRL has told TWZ in the past that the Quicksink seeker unit cost around $200,000, but that the goal was to get the unit price down to around $50,000 once production ramped up.
Quicksink reflects a broader trend within the Air Force, as well as other branches of the U.S. military, in the development of new, lower-cost precision bombs and missiles that can also be readily produced at scale. American officials see this as particularly important for bolstering munitions stocks ahead of any potential high-end fight with China in the Pacific, as well as being able to sustain inventories in any such campaign. More advanced anti-ship cruise missiles would be in particular high demand in a Pacific conflict.
It’s also worth pointing out that wing kits capable of extending the maximum range of standard JDAMs from 15 miles up to 45 miles exist now, and could be paired with the Quicksink configuration. The JDAM-Extended Range (JDAM-ER), which can help reduce the vulnerability of the launch platform, as well as offer greater reach, is now a combat-proven capability thanks to their employment by Ukraine’s Air Force in recent years. JDAM’s prime contractor Boeing has also been working on a cruise missile derivative of the munition, or Powered JDAM (PJDAM), which you can learn more about here. The Air Force is itself known to be at least exploring pairing the Quicksink seeker with Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) low-cost cruise missiles now in development for Ukraine and potentially other customers.
Extended range could also put additional emphasis on the importance of offboard cueing for Quicksink munitions, which could come from assets belonging to various branches of the U.S. military, as well as allies and partners – like Norwegian F-35s and/or P-8s. So far, there is no indication that the Quicksink bombs have a datalink to allow them to receive additional targeting information after release.
“In addition to Norwegian F-35s and personnel who participated in the strike, support from Norway enabled U.S. forces to gain access to critical infrastructure and airspace, allowing the test to be conducted in a strategically relevant and operationally challenging environment,” the Air Force’s press release on the recent test notes. “The event advanced tactics, techniques, and procedures for long-range sensor-to-shooter operations. These included integrating beyond-line-of-sight communications and multi-domain targeting, both crucial capabilities in highly contested environments.”
U.S. allies and partners, not to mention the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, could just acquire Quicksink munitions for their own use, as well.
With the Air Force continuing to expand the scale and scope of Quicksink testing, more specific details about the bombs and their capabilities, as well as how they could be employed, look set to emerge.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com