Air Force Demonstrates Low-Cost Maritime Defense Capability With QUICKSINK

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An Airman assigned to the 393rd Bomber Generation Squadron prepares GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to be loaded onto a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The loading operations were a component of the Air Force Research Laboratory QUICKSINK Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, a new low-cost, air-delivered capability for defeating maritime threats. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hastings)
An Airman assigned to the 393rd Bomber Generation Squadron prepares GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions to be loaded onto a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo. The loading operations were a component of the Air Force Research Laboratory QUICKSINK Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, a new low-cost, air-delivered capability for defeating maritime threats (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hastings).

July 15, 2025 | Originally published by Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) on June 4, 2025

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFRL) – In a demonstration of enhanced maritime lethality, the Air Force tested a new, more versatile variant of the QUICKSINK maritime weapon, increasing aircraft lethality by expanding its targeting reach. QUICKSINK is a low-cost method for neutralizing surface vessels using a modified, air-delivered munition. A 500-pound variant of the anti-ship weapon was delivered by a B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber during a test at the Eglin Air Force Base Gulf Test Range. This innovative capability provides a rapid response to maritime threats across vast ocean expanses, significantly bolstering the U.S. Air Force’s counter-maritime deterrence and operations.

“QUICKSINK offers an affordable, game-changing solution to rapidly and efficiently sink maritime targets,” said Col. Dan Lehoski, 53rd Wing Commander. “AFRL’s 500-pound QUICKSINK variant adds options for the warfighter and enhances operational flexibility.”

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