In a historic, low-cost air-delivered weapon designed to neutralize maritime threats, the AFRL and the Integrated Test Team from Eglin Air Force Base have released the first full-scale surface vessel using a modified 2,000-pound GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition in the Gulf of Mexico on April 28, 2022. The test marks the second experiment in the Quicksink Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, which is funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.
Traditionally, heavy-weight torpedoes launched from submarines have been used to sink an enemy ship. The problem is that these torpedoes are very expensive and fielded only to a small portion of naval assets. “With Quicksink, we’ve demonstrated something far more cost-effective and agile that can be utilized by the vast majority of Air Force combat aircraft to provide options to the combatant commanders and warfighters,” stated Maj. Andrew Swanson, 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron division chief of Advanced Programs.
The Quicksink program is powered with a Weapon Open Systems Architecture, or WOSA, seeker that facilitates precision placement of the weapon while reducing cost by providing modularity, allowing plug-and-play of the seeker components developed by various manufacturers to improve performance and lower the cost of weapons systems. A modified JDAM would include its existing GPS-assisted inertial navigation system guidance package but add a new seeker on the nose to allow it to attain torpedo-like lethality from the air.
The retrofitted JDAM bomb hit the retired cargo ship below the waterline, breaking it in half, during the test and sinking it quickly. This means this approach would get similar results to a torpedo but at a fraction of the cost. Many stakeholders watched the test online with several camera feeds originating from aerial platforms.
It was an entire team effort with hours of planning and preparation by the entire test team, but because of that, “The Quicksink mission was successful thanks to the hours of planning and preparation provided by the entire test team,” said Capt. J. Tucker Tipton, Air-to-Surface Test Flight commander, 780th Test Squadron.
The Quicksink program is intended to further diversify the options available to combat commanders in the prosecution of naval surface targets. There are many variants of precision-guided munitions and air-to-surface missiles, but Quicksink intends to offer the assurance of a torpedo normally expected from a heavyweight Mk 48.
To that end, AFRL program manager Kirk Herzog said, “Quicksink is unique in that it can provide new capabilities to existing and future DOD weapons systems, giving combatant commanders and our national leaders new ways to defend against maritime threats.”
The successful demonstration of the Quicksink program is a major step toward ensuring continued U.S. technological superiority in meeting national security challenges. It is a very strong tool for future maritime warfare, most especially high-end contingencies against either Russia or China, because it is so adaptable and low cost.