America's new 2000lb "quicksink" bomb

[NutLoose]

Trials show it taking down a merchant ship in under 40 seconds. Film in the link, though as they are sinking a ship one would imagine it has been gutted to remove dangerous items, Asbestos and wiring etc, so the internal structure may have been compromised.

The U.S. Air Force has released new and startling footage of a test of its new "Quicksink" anti-ship bomb kit, which adapts a standard 2,000-pound smart bomb for the purpose of targeting and destroying large vessels. It is an inexpensive alternative to a heavyweight torpedo or an anti-ship missile, which deliver the same effect but at much higher cost.

To create Quicksink, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory started out with a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), the standard guided-bomb tail kit compatible with all American strike aircraft. In its normal configuration, JDAM uses GPS and inertial navigation to maneuver a standard bomb with enough precision to land within about eight feet of the target. Quicksink adds a smart guidance package and sensors onto the bomb's nose, giving it the ability to home in on a ship-shaped target. The bomb drops beside the ship and detonates underwater, breaking the keel with a massive pressure wave without ever actually striking the hull.

The newly-released video shows the perspective of a camera mounted on a target ship. Almost immediately after detonation, the camera flies off its mount, falls to the deck, and is immersed in the water flooding over the vessel's side - emphasizing the extreme rapidity of the sinking. Based on the timeline in the first video released by the Air Force, the stern section of the target ship went under in about 20 seconds, followed by the bow some 17 seconds later.


https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/video-quicksink-bomb-destroys-merchant-ship-in-seconds

[melmothtw]

This happened in May.

[MATELO]

[QUOTE=NutLoose;11301362]Trials show it taking down a merchant ship in under 40 seconds. Film in the link, though as they are sinking a ship one would imagine it has been gutted to remove dangerous items, Asbestos and wiring etc, so the internal structure may have been compromised.

Thanks, missed that.

[unmanned_droid]

Perfecting the art of creating a rapidly expanding hole in the ocean under the middle of a ship.

[Not_a_boffin]

It's only a little ship - and quite an old one too by the looks, subject to a ton of HE going off adjacently, when stationary. That was always going to end badly.

Whether that guidance package could deal with a more realistic target would be an interesting exercise.

Still useful demo should one wish to sink merchant shipping quickly.

[Two's in]

Remembering that real ships are moving targets. I'm sure predictive algorithms are good, but it's not going to be as easy as the demo suggests.

[jolihokistix]

The ROKS Cheonan was taken out by cavitation or something similar.

From Wiki: “The explosion might have created a bubble jet that eventually generated an enormous shock wave and caused the ship to break in two.“

[BFSGrad]

Interesting that the only competitor mentioned the USAF promo is the MK48 torpedo. No mention of anti-ship missiles, which can be launched from sub, surface, and air platforms.

The spirit of Billy Mitchell lives on!

[SpazSinbad]

Interesting that the only competitor mentioned the USAF promo is the MK48 torpedo. No mention of anti-ship missiles, which can be launched from sub, surface, and air platforms. The spirit of Billy Mitchell lives on!
Here ya go but NO quacksunk :} here:
Video: Royal Navy and US Navy Conduct SINKEX - Naval News
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/09/royal-navy-and-us-navy-conduct-sinkex/

Ex ATLANTIC THUNDER RAW Footage Original Video m19179

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVbu_hxUbIU

[SpazSinbad]

[MORE] story: U.K. and U.S. Conduct SINKEX during Atlantic Thunder 22 - Seapower (seapowermagazine.org) (https://seapowermagazine.org/u-k-and-u-s-conduct-sinkex-during-atlantic-thunder-22/)
Another story about NORF 'Lantic SankEx: Royal Navy participates in SINKEX – destroying a decommissioned US frigate in the North Atlantic. | Navy Lookout (https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navy-participates-in-sinkex-destroying-a-decommissioned-us-frigate-in-the-north-atlantic/)

SINKEX – destroying an old US frigate in the North Atlantic. - YouTube

[FakePilot]

The ROKS Cheonan was taken out by cavitation or something similar.

From Wiki: “The explosion might have created a bubble jet that eventually generated an enormous shock wave and caused the ship to break in two.“

Ship is less dense than water, hence it floats. Any explosion is going to seek the path of least resistance, which from under a ship is through the ship.

[uxb99]

Ship is less dense than water, hence it floats. Any explosion is going to seek the path of least resistance, which from under a ship is through the ship.
A thing floats when it displaces more water than it weighs. Density has nothing to do with it.

[DuncanDoenitz]

A thing floats when it displaces more water than it weighs. Density has nothing to do with it.

No, it displaces precisely the same amount of water that it weighs. And it can only do that because it is less dense.

[golder]

Remembering that real ships are moving targets. I'm sure predictive algorithms are good, but it's not going to be as easy as the demo suggests.
You might want to read about it first, before saying how it works.

[RatherBeFlying]

Taiwan will be ordering a few thousand:E

[212man]

A thing floats when it displaces more water than it weighs. Density has nothing to do with it.
Both sentences are incorrect!

[Lonewolf_50]

A bit of open source material about JDAM (https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104572/joint-direct-attack-munition-gbu-313238/).

I doubt that they would discuss in open source its effectiveness versus moving targets.

[Lonewolf_50]

[MORE] story: I can only say, having been on and landed upon a number of Perry class frigates, that it does my heart good to see one of them blown up. We referred to them as the Helen Keller class. The CORT mod was only done on about a dozen, and it did not take long for those to also be retired.

[golder]

A bit of open source material about JDAM (https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104572/joint-direct-attack-munition-gbu-313238/).

I doubt that they would discuss in open source its effectiveness versus moving targets.

In one of the videos, it shows the targeting sensor

"Quicksink adds a smart guidance package and sensors onto the bomb's nose, giving it the ability to home in on a ship-shaped target. The bomb drops beside the ship and detonates underwater, breaking the keel with a massive pressure wave without ever actually striking the hull."

[SpazSinbad]

USMC Adds More Anti-Ship Munitions To Its Arsenal 26 Sep 2022 Peter Ong "...Two munitions are delivered from tactical aircraft (Harpoon and QUICKSINK).... [Brig. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, Deputy Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific] We got a tactical air, fixed wing, we got two that can sink a ship...." https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2022/09/usmc-adds-more-anti-ship-munitions-to-its-arsenal/

[golfbananajam]

Isn't this what the RAF did to Tirpitz?

[SpazSinbad]

One summary says this: "How was the Tirpitz sunk? It took three years and multiple operations, but in 1944 30 RAF Lancaster bombers armed with Tallboy earthquake bombs finally sunk the Tirpitz. The ship took two bombs, suffered internal explosions and soon capsized. OTHERWISE: German battleship Tirpitz - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Tirpitz)

[langleybaston]

One summary says this: "How was the Tirpitz sunk? It took three years and multiple operations, but in 1944 30 RAF Lancaster bombers armed with Tallboy earthquake bombs finally sunk the Tirpitz. The ship took two bombs, suffered internal explosions and soon capsized. OTHERWISE: German battleship Tirpitz - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_battleship_Tirpitz)

Ah! But which squadron.

Who has the chunk of Tirpitz in their Mess now?

[SpazSinbad]

Ah! But which squadron. Who has the chunk of Tirpitz in their Mess now?
Bit silly don't you think? What has all this got to do with QUICKSINK? Google can answer most questions. YOU look it up.

[langleybaston]

Bit silly don't you think? What has all this got to do with QUICKSINK? Google can answer most questions. YOU look it up.

Thank you for the suggestion.

[superplum]

Ah! But which squadron.

Who has the chunk of Tirpitz in their Mess now?

I believe it should be with IX(B) - I remember hearing about it whilst at Bruggen 87-90.

[SASless]

It was reported in July 2005 that the US Navy using an F/A 18 and a JDAM bomb scored hits within two meters of a moving "Land" target.

If you can hit a moving Truck or Tank I have to think hitting a Ship is entirely feasible.

How you achieve a "near miss" on purpose might be the harder part of the problem.

However....if you "miss" and actually "hit" the ship with a 2,000 pound bomb....that alone is gong to cause the ship a serious Damage Control exercise that may or. may not be successful.

So why the debate about whether said bomb will work or not if employed in combat?

Would we be. having the same discussion if it had been the RN and the F-35?

[golder]

It was reported in July 2005 that the US Navy using an F/A 18 and a JDAM bomb scored hits within two meters of a moving "Land" target.

If you can hit a moving Truck or Tank I have to think hitting a Ship is entirely feasible.

How you achieve a "near miss" on purpose might be the harder part of the problem.

However....if you "miss" and actually "hit" the ship with a 2,000 pound bomb....that alone is gong to cause the ship a serious Damage Control exercise that may or. may not be successful.

So why the debate about whether said bomb will work or not if employed in combat?

Would we be. having the same discussion if it had been the RN and the F-35?
I think you are referring to the radar mode GMTI. The moving target targeting is done by the weapon sensor. It can also be a standoff weapon with glide kit

[SASless]

The USAF conducted a test on a moving Freighter....barely moving and certainly not maneuvering ship.....but certainly devastating results.

I looked back through the Thread and did not see this video listed....if it is a repeat my apologies.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmfRi2Vl3JQ

[Donkey497]

A sudden hole appearing under the ship is a very effective way to create a hell of an amount of damage, and unfortunately can and does happen naturally all the time. The deciding factor appears to be two converging wave patterns and what determines the damage is related to the how the basic wavelength of each pattern relates to the size of the ship and where the convergence takes place on the ship.

My old man [Marine Chief Engineer] had very personal experience of this in the south pacific in transit from Fiji back to Oz on his BP Tanker in the early '80's. One quiet sunday morning, about half way back to Sydney, in his words - they fell into a hole in a nearly flat calm ocean which broke piping off from the fo'csle all the way back to the pump room justb ahead of the accomodation and in the engine room broke all three of the auxiliary "Percy Paxman" diesels and their attached generators free from their bases, wrecking the coupling on the running unit. The main engine mounting plate got cracked and the bow plating got split so badly he had to weld shut some watertight doors until they were able to limpback into port in Oz as none of the pumps on board coul keep up with the flooding rate. It took a fortnight's work in Sydney to get the ship fit for travel to Keppel in Singapore where they had another three week's in dry dock to repair the worst of the damage. His take on it was that if they'd been hit slightly further back, he'd have been lucky to have been paddling.

His bright side was that he did manage to get across the Sydney Harbour bridge a couple of times without having to pay the toll and he developed a liking for a particular restaurant in Singapore that he was very disappointed to learn, years later from me that it was now a block of flats after I visited for my work.

[SpazSinbad]

Regarding the BIG BUBBLE Maker - hope this helps. Underwater Explosions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6zQ0wBvh18
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1640x900/underwaterexplosionsteambubbles_c65328075e53b3ff52b2fa77247d 9338c2d44a0f.gif

[fltlt]

I think you are referring to the radar mode GMTI. The moving target targeting is done by the weapon sensor. It can also be a standoff weapon with glide kit

Way back when, I was involved in the testing to determine why the guided munitions were falling short on moving targets in theater. Spent time at Fallon on the range, with two F 18’s circling overhead, then trying to hit an autonomous Nissan Sentra performing a long run along the wreck runway, with a turn at each end.
Video and stills have been on the web for a number of years. Kairos Autonomi is the old company website (nothing to do with me personally) then click on media, scroll down, you will see one of my favorite photos, an LGTR, 5 ft above the ground, behind the target.
There are a couple of videos of it as well.

[SpazSinbad]

58 Mb: http://vid.kairosautonomi.com/videos/KA_Fallon_Drop_Full_640_480_Large.wmv

http://www.kairosautonomi.com/uploads/files/78/large/KAFallonMissiledropstill.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1573x1050/pronto4_agnostic_autonomy_system_040feeaa4f03a943596d5c9055d 5b8f4e29bd26a.jpg

[golder]

Way back when, I was involved in the testing to determine why the guided munitions were falling short on moving targets in theater. Spent time at Fallon on the range, with two F 18’s circling overhead, then trying to hit an autonomous Nissan Sentra performing a long run along the wreck runway, with a turn at each end.
Video and stills have been on the web for a number of years. Kairos Autonomi is the old company website (nothing to do with me personally) then click on media, scroll down, you will see one of my favorite photos, an LGTR, 5 ft above the ground, behind the target.
There are a couple of videos of it as well.

Thanks for sharing laser guided weapon.. I went to the website
Kairos Autonomi: Multimedia - Existing Vehicle Autonomy for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (http://www.kairosautonomi.com/multimedia-2.php)


This is the sensor for the quicksink
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/new-look-at-air-forces-ship-killing-smart-bomb-in-action-seeker-details-revealed
AFRL has now confirmed that the Quicksink seeker, the model of which is seen below, is a dual-mode system that combines a radar seeker with an imaging infrared (IIR) camera

The combination of the new multi-mode seeker and the JDAM tail kit turns the bomb into an all-weather anti-ship weapon. When employed, the weapon uses the tail kit to first glide to the general target area, using coordinates inputted prior to launch from the launch aircraft via onboard sensors or from an off-board sensing platform. Once it approaches the target area, the weapon then shifts to the Quicksink seeker to locate the target ship and determine its speed and heading. The use of an independent seeker system means that weapon could potentially still lock onto the target if it appears within the envelope of the radar and IIR camera, even in a GPS-degraded environment that imposes limits on the initial cueing.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/801x1200/quicksink_seeker_b3a17aa1b4f74ea17fc376afb965ac0bb3c02f7c.jp g

[fltlt]

Thanks for sharing laser guided weapon.. I went to the website
Kairos Autonomi: Multimedia - Existing Vehicle Autonomy for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (http://www.kairosautonomi.com/multimedia-2.php)


This is the sensor for the quicksink
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/new-look-at-air-forces-ship-killing-smart-bomb-in-action-seeker-details-revealed
AFRL has now confirmed that the Quicksink seeker, the model of which is seen below, is a dual-mode system that combines a radar seeker with an imaging infrared (IIR) camera

The combination of the new multi-mode seeker and the JDAM tail kit turns the bomb into an all-weather anti-ship weapon. When employed, the weapon uses the tail kit to first glide to the general target area, using coordinates inputted prior to launch from the launch aircraft via onboard sensors or from an off-board sensing platform. Once it approaches the target area, the weapon then shifts to the Quicksink seeker to locate the target ship and determine its speed and heading. The use of an independent seeker system means that weapon could potentially still lock onto the target if it appears within the envelope of the radar and IIR camera, even in a GPS-degraded environment that imposes limits on the initial cueing.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/801x1200/quicksink_seeker_b3a17aa1b4f74ea17fc376afb965ac0bb3c02f7c.jp g

The two F 18’s we had overhead for the tests missed the first few times, then noticed that the target slowed down at each end in the turn. So they decided they had a better chance there. In one of the videos, you see the Sentra disappear of the left side of the screen, followed by the noise of jet engines, then the terminal noise of the LGTR, then wait, wait, wait, did they hit it, nope, Sentra emerges.
The last round they had managed to stop the vehicle, from the range tower through the big eyes, the round dropped short, but closer than the previous ones had been, the vehicle continued for a few feet, then stopped dead in its tracks.
When we finally got out there to where it was, turned out tthat when the LGTR hit, it was probably a couple of feet behind, the small charge went off, and between ground dislodged by the initial impact, further displaced by the charge, being directly in line with the exhaust pipe of the vehicle, it was sufficient to plug the last four inches or so, which in turn explained why it only went so far, then stopped abruptly.
A true soft kill.