U.S. Navy Approves StormBreaker Smart Bomb for F/A-18E/F to Engage Moving Targets in All Weather.

Raytheon announced on February 20, 2026, from Tucson, Arizona, that the U.S. Navy has approved the StormBreaker precision weapon for operational use on its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fleet. The approval expands carrier air wing strike flexibility with an all-weather, network-enabled munition designed for contested maritime and land operations.

The U.S. Navy has formally approved Raytheon’s StormBreaker smart weapon for operational use on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the company announced February 20, 2026, from Tucson, Arizona. The precision air-to-surface munition is designed to engage moving and stationary targets in adverse weather, using a multi-mode seeker to operate over land and at sea. With carrier air wings increasingly expected to operate in contested, sensor-dense environments, the integration gives naval aviators a broader and more flexible strike option against time-sensitive and mobile threats. The decision marks a significant step in aligning Navy strike capabilities with evolving maritime warfare demands.
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U.S. Navy approves Raytheon StormBreaker smart weapon for F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet operations. (Picture source: US DoD)

The Boeing F/A-18-E/F Super Hornet forms the backbone of the U.S. Navy carrier-based tactical aviation. Powered by two General Electric F414-GE-400 afterburning turbofan engines, each generating around 22,000 pounds of thrust, the aircraft reaches speeds of approximately Mach 1.6 and operates with a combat radius in excess of 390 nautical miles, depending on configuration. Its AN/APG-79 active electronically scanned array radar provides multi-target tracking and high-resolution ground mapping, enabling simultaneous air-to-air and air-to-surface tasking. Combined with Link 16 tactical data link connectivity and the Distributed Targeting Processor Networked system, the Super Hornet already functions as a node within a wider naval combat architecture. The addition of StormBreaker extends this networked reach into the terminal phase of the strike.

StormBreaker, also known as the GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II, weighs roughly 204 pounds and is built around a tri-mode seeker that combines millimeter-wave radar, imaging infrared guidance, and semi-active laser homing. This sensor fusion allows the weapon to identify and discriminate targets in degraded visibility, including smoke, dust, rain, or maritime clutter. With a range exceeding 40 nautical miles when launched from altitude, the glide bomb enables standoff engagements beyond many short-range air defense envelopes. Its two-way data link permits in-flight target updates, giving aircrews the ability to retarget or refine aimpoints after release, an attribute that becomes critical against mobile systems.

The Navy had previously cleared the Super Hornet to carry StormBreaker in 2023, marking the first operational use of the munition on a U.S. Navy aircraft. The latest approval moves beyond carriage to full operational employment across the fleet. Integration on the F-15E Strike Eagle is complete, while work continues on the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C variants. Within the naval aviation community, standardizing StormBreaker across multiple platforms simplifies logistics and expands the range of aircraft capable of executing dynamic targeting missions.

Until now, the Super Hornet’s precision strike arsenal has relied heavily on laser-guided bombs, Joint Direct Attack Munitions, and the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon. While effective, these munitions are optimized primarily for fixed or pre-planned targets. Engaging fast-moving surface threats, such as missile launchers or maneuvering small boats, has required tighter timelines, favorable weather, or persistent sensor support. StormBreaker changes that calculus. Its multi-mode seeker reduces dependence on external designation, and its ability to prosecute moving targets in adverse conditions narrows the window during which an adversary can reposition or disperse.

The compact size of StormBreaker carries implications of its own. A single Super Hornet can carry multiple weapons on a single sortie, increasing the number of aimpoints serviceable per aircraft. This improves sortie efficiency and reduces the need to cycle additional aircraft into contested airspace. Moreover, the standoff range allows pilots to release weapons outside the densest layers of integrated air defense systems, lowering exposure to surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft artillery. In maritime strike scenarios, the millimeter-wave radar component of the seeker enhances detection of small or low-signature vessels, even in sea states that complicate infrared tracking.

Operationally, the combination of networked targeting and in-flight retasking strengthens the Navy’s capacity for dynamic strike operations. Carrier air wings often operate hundreds of nautical miles from hostile shores, relying on real-time intelligence from airborne early warning aircraft, surface ships, and space-based sensors. A weapon capable of receiving updated coordinates mid-course aligns with this distributed model of warfare. It enables time-sensitive targeting against mobile missile batteries or amphibious formations without requiring aircraft to overfly heavily defended zones.

The approval reflects a broader adjustment in U.S. naval doctrine. Carrier strike groups are increasingly expected to deter peer adversaries equipped with layered anti-access and area-denial systems. Precision munitions that combine autonomy, resilience to weather, and connectivity form part of the response to that challenge. By equipping the Super Hornet fleet with StormBreaker, the Navy reinforces the credibility of its conventional deterrent posture in regions such as the Western Pacific and the Eastern Mediterranean, where mobility and rapid target engagement are decisive. As other powers expand their own precision-strike inventories, the integration of advanced smart weapons into legacy yet still central platforms like the Super Hornet underscores the enduring relevance of carrier aviation in high-intensity conflict scenarios.