WASHINGTON, — April 7, 2026 : The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded RTX Corporation a sole-source contract with a maximum value of $709 million for the 12th production lot of GBU-53/B StormBreaker precision-guided munitions. The contract covers the manufacture and delivery of all-up rounds, containers, spare components, and associated diagnostic and test equipment, with work to be carried out primarily at the company’s facility in Tucson, Arizona. Production under the agreement is scheduled to conclude by February 2030.
At the time of contract award, the Department of Defense obligated an initial funding tranche of $338 million drawn from multiple fiscal procurement accounts. Of this amount, $171.5 million—representing more than half of the initial funding—is being financed by international partners through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Participating countries include Belgium, Canada, Finland, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Korea, and Switzerland.
All eight partner nations are operators or customers of the F-35A Lightning II, aligning their procurement of StormBreaker munitions with existing fifth-generation fighter capabilities. In addition to these countries, RTX has previously delivered smaller quantities of the weapon to other international users, including Australia, alongside several thousand units already supplied to U.S. forces.
Program Scope and Production Context
The Lot 12 award follows earlier production contracts, including Lot 11, which was awarded in December 2024 with a value of approximately $282 million. The new contract reflects continued demand for precision-guided air-to-surface munitions capable of addressing evolving operational requirements, including engagements in contested and degraded environments.
Defense officials indicated that the production effort supports both replenishment of U.S. inventories and fulfillment of allied requirements under FMS agreements. The contract structure includes not only the munitions themselves but also support equipment necessary for operational deployment, maintenance, and testing.
Technical Characteristics and Performance
The GBU-53/B StormBreaker, also designated as the Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II), is designed to engage both stationary and moving targets in a range of environmental conditions, including adverse weather and low-visibility scenarios. The weapon incorporates a tri-mode seeker system combining millimeter-wave radar, imaging infrared guidance, and semi-active laser homing, integrated with GPS-aided inertial navigation.
This multi-mode guidance architecture enables the munition to operate effectively in GPS-denied or electronically contested environments, maintaining target tracking and engagement capability under conditions where traditional guidance systems may be degraded.
The StormBreaker weighs approximately 93 kilograms (250 pounds) and carries a 48-kilogram multi-purpose warhead. Its compact form factor allows for increased carriage capacity on tactical aircraft. For example, an F-15E Strike Eagle can carry up to 28 StormBreaker munitions per sortie, increasing the number of targets that can be engaged during a single mission while minimizing collateral damage.
The weapon provides a standoff engagement range of up to approximately 110 kilometers against stationary targets and about 72 kilometers against moving targets, depending on launch conditions and operational parameters.
Operational Integration and Deployment Status
The StormBreaker is currently operational on multiple U.S. combat aircraft platforms, including the F-15E Strike Eagle and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The U.S. Navy approved the munition for operational use on the Super Hornet fleet in February 2026.
Integration efforts are ongoing across the F-35 Lightning II variants, including the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C, which are operated by both U.S. forces and international partners participating in the FMS program. The weapon is expected to serve as a standard air-to-surface munition across these platforms as integration progresses.
According to defense officials, the continued production of the StormBreaker addresses a specific operational requirement for engaging mobile targets with precision at extended ranges. The program is also intended to support long-term inventory sustainment and ensure interoperability among allied air forces equipped with compatible aircraft systems.
Industrial and Strategic Implications
Work under the contract will be concentrated at RTX’s Tucson, Arizona facility, which serves as a primary production site for precision-guided munitions. The inclusion of international funding through FMS reflects sustained allied demand and ongoing alignment of procurement strategies among F-35 partner nations.
Officials stated that the Lot 12 production effort is part of a broader initiative to expand precision-strike capabilities across U.S. and allied forces through the end of the decade, with an emphasis on multi-domain operational effectiveness and adaptability to complex threat environments.
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