The government of Norway has confirmed its intention to procure Raytheon Missiles & Defense’s StormBreaker smart weapon from the U.S. Air Force according to a press release by Raytheon on 18 June.
Preparations are now underway to integrate the network-enabled weapon into the capabilities of the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
“We see StormBreaker as an essential component in achieving the full operational capability of our F-35 fleet,” said Brig. Gen. Sigurd Fongen, head of the F-35 project office, Norwegian Defence Staff. “The weapon will bring significant capability against stationary and moving targets at stand-off ranges, further enhancing the Norwegian Air Force’s ability to maintain national and regional security alongside our allies.”
The StormBreaker smart weapon gives operators an upper hand in combat by hitting stationary and moving targets in some of the worst weather conditions. The network-enabled munition autonomously detects and classifies targets in poor visibility situations caused by darkness, bad weather, smoke or dust.
“StormBreaker delivers a unique combination of power, precision and operational flexibility to the joint and allied fight,” said Paul Ferraro, president of Air Power for Raytheon Missiles & Defense.
StormBreaker is a fielded munition on the U.S. Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle, and the weapon has performed various live drops and weapons evaluations since. The U.S. Navy will declare initial operating capability on the Super Hornet after operational testing concludes. Integration activities are also underway on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as well as additional manned and unmanned platforms.
