U.S. Tests New Air-Launched Bombs To Sink Ships

A US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber used a new anti-ship munition, Quicksink, to sink a decommissioned warship during recent live-fire drills with partner forces in the Pacific Ocean, the US Navy reported this week, Jake Epstein wrote for Business Insider.

The B-2 aircraft released an experimental weapon called Quicksink during the second of the two drills. I Photo: U.S. Air Force

Earlier this month, the US military held two sinking exercises, known as Sinkex, off the coast of Hawaii to practice targeting vessels at sea and train on different weapons systems.

The B-2 aircraft released an experimental weapon called Quicksink during the second of the two drills, which took place on Friday and involved the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa.

The bomber "proved a low-cost, air-delivered method for defeating surface vessels through a Quicksink demonstration, as part of the second Sinkex," the Navy's Third Fleet said in a statement.

The Quicksink experiment, funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, "aims to provide options to neutralize surface maritime threats while demonstrating the inherent flexibility of the joint force," the fleet stated.

"This capability is an answer to an urgent need to quickly neutralize maritime threats over massive expanses of ocean around the world at minimal costs," it added.

The experimental weapon, first tested several years ago, pairs Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits with new seeker technology that allows it to home in on a stationary or moving target at sea with precision.