Although the existence of the low-cost QuickSink seeker has been known for several years — and a target ship was first sunk with it in 2022 — detailed photos have only just appeared. The U.S. and Norwegian Air forces recently released images from QuickSink trials in the Norwegian Sea showing a bomb equipped with the seeker being dropped by a B-2 stealth bomber.
Weapons preparation and loading took place at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. In other words, the B-2 flew roughly 6,000 km one way to drop the weapon in the Norwegian Sea, escorted by Norwegian F-35s.
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Norway's Ministry of Defense published photos of the weapon release and the target strike near the island of Andøya; images of the impact were taken through a submarine periscope.
The U.S. Department of Defense published photos showing two 2,000-lb GBU-31 bombs fitted with JDAM kits and the QuickSink seeker.
Two QuickSink-equipped bombs were prepared at Whiteman — one painted bright pink, which was dropped; the fate of the other, finished in a bee-striped scheme, is unknown. In addition, 12 LJDAMs (JDAM kits with a semi-active laser seeker) were readied.
It later emerged that standard JDAM kits are not compatible with QuickSink: a warning on the bomb's tail assembly fitted with QuickSink explicitly notes this.
QuickSink is a combined radar and infrared seeker that enables true "fire-and-forget" engagement of moving targets. Developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory, it is presented as a very inexpensive solution primarily intended for engaging surface maritime targets.
QuickSink is of particular interest to Ukraine because integration of the seeker is planned for cruise missiles being developed under the ERAM program — a requirement specified in the relevant developer request. Development leadership is now shared by Zone 5 Technologies (with Rusty Dagge) and CoAspire on the RAACM program.
Integration with RAACM appears potentially straightforward because RAACM broadly shares the form factor of an aerial bomb. The bigger technical challenge is ensuring the missile's flight-control system accepts and follows the seeker's guidance commands, not the physical mounting of the seeker itself.
Adding QuickSink to ERAM will enable those weapons to engage not only fixed targets with pre-determined coordinates but also moving targets, chiefly ships, at ranges beyond 400 km.
Read more: Ukraine to Receive Ten ERAMs by October: New Missiles For MiG-29 and F-16
