A new low-cost U.S. Air Force weapon dubbed QUICKSINK has impressed military leaders after a test proved the inexpensive bomb is capable of sinking ships.
In another first a B-2 stealth bomber was the plane used to deliver the bomb for the test that took place off the island of Kauai, which is part of the chain of Hawaiian islands. During the test exercise, which military analysts described as “very significant,” the plane dropped the new bomb on an out-of-service amphibious military ship. That ship was formerly known as the USS Tarawa. It is a decommissioned assault ship measuring 820 feet in length, and weighing 39,000 tons. It’s the size of a smaller aircraft carrier.
Military observers say this test proves two things: the B-2 stealth bomber is suited to such missions, and the low-cost QUICKSINK guided bomb is indeed capable of sending a full-sized ship to the bottom of the ocean.
A press release from the 3rd Fleet of the U.S. Navy touted the achievement, saying it met an “urgent need” to be able to sink ships and neutralize enemy watercraft all over the world’s oceans, and cheaply. The test was part of a series of exercises carried out under the Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC) event.
The B-2 is a marvel of military engineering and is easily the U.S.’ most advanced fighter craft. It is designed to evade radar detection. Built by Northrop Grumman, the plane is a “flying wing bomber,” which means that the wing and the fuselage are all part of one largely flat unit. Unlike commercial or traditional planes that have a long metal cylinder fixed to wings, the B-2 is an aircraft made entirely of the wing; there is no bulging central fuselage to disrupt the machine’s lines.
This topology (the surface shape), plus special coatings, help the B-2 evade radar detection. The plane absorbs and evades radar pulses, which means it does not send a signature back to monitoring enemies.
This has more than just the obvious military advantages. The Air Force says the plane is not only good at evading detection, but is also excellent for the kind of surveillance that has traditionally been difficult to perform. The B-2 can fly into areas with many enemy defenses and get a high aerial view for reconnaissance that lower-flying planes (which are at greater risk of being shot down) cannot do.
