USSOCOM, AFSOC test Block 1 GBU-69/B SGM datalink variant

The US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), in collaboration with Dynetics, have conducted a series of tests of the Block 1 variant of the Dynetics GBU-69/B Small Glide Munition (SGM) – an enhanced variant of the baseline SGM equipped with a Raytheon-developed X-Net two-way datalink.

Integrated into the Block 1 GBU-69/B under a collaborative effort initiated in 2017 between Raytheon Integrated Communication Systems and Dynetics, X-Net is a new small form factor, software-defined radio that meets the existing size, weight, and power (SwaP) allocations for the munition electronics in the Block 1 GBU-69/B. The system is designed to provide in-flight target updates (IFTUs) in order to improve weapon performance in dynamic targeting environments and to receive telemetry data for weapon performance and post-mission analysis. X-Net is MIL-STD-6016 compatible and supports the SGM’s range of more than 20 n miles. A Dynetics-designed deployable mono-pole antenna, which is folded down along the length of the body pre-launch and deploys post-launch, is the only external modification made to the Block I datalink variant.

A GBU-69/B Block 1 variant Small Glide Munition equipped with a Raytheon X-Net two-way datalink strikes a static target during USSOCOM/AFSOC flight tests in February 2019. (Dynetics)