UK Chooses GBU-53/B – a New Long-Range Weapon

The United Kingdom plans to purchase GBU-53/B StormBreaker precision-guided missiles for the F-35.

The decision is due to the delay in integrating the MBDA SPEAR-3 missile, which is still not ready for use on British F-35s, per Navy Lookout’s post on X.

The StormBreaker is a small-sized planning missile with a multi-channel guidance system: IR channel, laser, and active radar.

The munition allows striking moving targets at considerable range and operating in poor weather and under active electronic warfare suppression.

Raytheon also introduced a new ground-based version of the StormBreaker. It is based on the aviation GBU-53.

Design, development, and testing took 50 days, an extremely short cycle for this type of weapon.

The company emphasizes that modern warfare has shown the need for high-precision ground assets capable of operating without GPS or under severe interference.

The modular architecture of StormBreaker allowed it to be quickly adapted to ground launchers, using the most basic aircraft components.

Raytheon emphasizes that the new variant retains the key advantages of multi-channel autonomous guidance and EW resistance.

As a reminder, Sweden recently ordered the development of a new cruise missile in 18 months.