B-52 Bombers could soon have a new
mission. The B-52 is one versatile
platform. In addition to dropping bombs
and firing missiles it can lay sea mines.
The B-52 Bomber is one of the most
versatile fighters ever developed. Dropping mines to deny access to an area
to warships is one way the B-52 will
fight future wars.
The U.S Navy issued a request for
information last month, to determine
which government contractors might be
capable of designing, manufacturing and
testing maritime mines that could be
deployed at long ranges from the air.
While the navy may not even move forward
with such a project
and this suggests that there is interest
from military planners to determine if
the technologies could be developed to
produce a sea mine from long ranges via
the air.
The notice was issued by the department
of the navy, naval sea systems command on
behalf of the program executive office
under manned and small combatants, mine
warfare program office PMS 495.
The objective of this notice is to help
the government determine the current
technology available, as well as
capability and qualifications of
companies in meeting the government's
need to modernize the long-range air
delivery of maritime mines. the request
for proposal stated which was posted on
govtribe.com.
The mine may be required to deliver a
minimum 500 pounds explosive payload a
minimum of 100 nautical miles with 2000
lb explosive payload and ranges beyond
100 nautical miles desired.
Additionally, proposed design concepts
may utilize the current target detecting, safety and arming devices that are part
of the current quick strike family of
mines.
Respondents to the request for proposal
are requested to submit a white paper
that includes capability statements and
the key technical approaches used. This includes potential solutions and
data such as range estimation, accuracy, warhead size and general mind size.
The white papers should also
include current technology readiness
levels, maturity of potential solutions
and development timelines.
Combatant commanders require the
capability to accurately emplace
maritime mines into contested
environments, said the navy as reported
by flight global. Current mining capability includes
legacy, air delivered quick strike series
mines.
Mine laying aircraft must fly directly
over each planned minefield at low
altitude and speed to deliver mines, leaving the aircraft vulnerable to
adversary anti-aircraft weapons.
Air-dropped mines are not exactly a new
concept either and the u.s military air
dropped mines in japanese waters in 1945, which sank more ships in the final
months of the second world war than
submarines. but the quick strike naval mine took
aerial delivery a step further.
In september 2014 one was dropped from a
high altitude B-52H Bomber and it glided
some 40 nautical miles before entering
the water thanks to the inclusion of
wings on the mind's body. The u.s navy has further outfitted quick
strike mines with the tail assembly from
a joint direct attack munition, extended
range and also a pop-out wing kit.
Though unpowered, the gliding mine can
fly quite a long distance which
increases with the height at which it is
dropped. Mines remain an important part of the
navy's Arsenal as they serve a dual role
as offensive defense asymmetric weapon
and for good reason have been described
as weapons that wait.
Since the end of World War II, it has
been mines that have seriously damaged
or sunk almost four times more navy
ships than all other means of attack
combined. The u.s navy has seen too that Beijing
has upped its game when it comes to
seeing the value in sea mines with china
turning to the successful use of mines
by Russia throughout the 20th century, even when Moscow wasn't noted for having
a significant blue water navy.
While the u.s navy's quick strike joint
direct attack munition naval mine is
easy to assemble and can be deployed
from high-flying aircraft, the mine
warfare program office clearly is
seeking something that could strike from
more than double the current distances.
The B-52 design underwent several severe
design changes in its first two years, shifting from a straight wing piston
engine bomber to a swept wing jet
engined aircraft.
The B-52 survived where other bombers
failed because it could continue to
fulfill a very special set of roles in
the missile age
and including long-range low altitude
penetration strategic bomber, heavy
conventional bomber and more generally
flexible large long-range weapons
carrying platform.
