Australia has received U.S. State Department approval to purchase GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment II weapons from the United States.

The possible sale of the bombs through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program carries the estimated value of $815 million and was reported to Congress by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

"The proposed sale of SDB II supports and complements the ongoing sale of the F-35A to the Royal Australian Air Force," the agency said in a news release. "This capability will strengthen combined operations, particularly air to ground strike missions in all-weather conditions, and increase interoperability between the United States and the RAAF."

Australia is seeking as many as 3,900 GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment IIs, as many as 30 GBU-53/B Guided Test Vehicles, and up to 60 GBU-53/B Captive Carry Reliability Trainers.

Part of the proposed weapons deal is weapon load crew trainers, practical explosive ordinance disposal trainers, bomb containers, support, and ground crew test equipment. Transportation, warranties, repair and return, maintenance, publications, and technical documentation round out the package.

The principal contractor for the bombs would be Raytheon Missile Systems, the agency said.

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Raytheon awarded contract for upgrades to Small Diameter Bomb
Washington (UPI) Sep 27, 2017
Raytheon has been awarded a $450 million contract for engineering changes and development of the Small Diameter Bomb II, an update for the U.S. Air Force. The contract, announced Wednesday by the Department of Defense, is for design, development, integration, test and production engineering for changes to the SDB. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz., and is expected to be fin ... read more

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