Boeing awarded $280M contract for small diameter bomb integration

Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The Air Force has awarded a $280 million contract to Boeing to provide integration and engineering support.

The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, calls for Boeing to integrate the Small Diameter Bomb I glide bomb onto some weapons platforms and deliver support to the system.

The GBU-39 SDB I is a 250-pound precision-guided weapon designed to reduce collateral damage while also impacting a wide array of targets. It has a stand-off range of more than 40 nautical miles and uses GPS-enabled inertial navigation system to attack targets.

In May, Boeing also received a $35 million modification to deliver to foreign customers.

The system is designed to enable aircraft to carry a higher number of smaller, more accurate bombs. Many U.S. Air Force aircraft can carry a pack of four GBU-39 SDBs in place of a single 2,000-pound bomb.

In 2017, U.S. forces launched the GBU-39 SDB I from F-22s to attack Taliban drug factories Afghanistan.

The work, which will take place in St. Louis, is expected to be completed by September 2024.