F-35 Aircraft: Guided Weapons
2026-06-24 · Ministry of Defence · 13297 · Official question
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the difference in capability is between the GBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb II and SPEAR 3.
Answer
The Ministry of Defence has approved the purchase of the GBU-53 Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II) as an interim stand-off weapon for the F-35B, intended to bridge the capability gap until the UK-developed SPEAR 3 enters full operational service. This decisi...