MBDA Inc. announced a new contract award from Boeing to produce up to 21,000 Diamond Back® Wing Assemblies for the Small Diameter Bomb (SDB-1). This new contract follows a U.S. Air Force award to Boeing for additional SDB-1 production.
MBDA’s Diamond Back Wing Assembly - a key component of Boeing’s Small Diameter Bomb- features a patentedtandem wing design that improves SDB’s maneuverability and extends its range to over 60 nautical miles, increasing pilot safety and expanding operational reach. SDB-1 is an advanced precision-guided glide bomb that provides aircraft with the ability to carry a higher number of weapons and accurately strike multiple targets in a single combat sortie.
MBDA Inc.’s CEO John Pranzatelli said: “This new award is possible thanks to our strong partnership with Boeing and outstanding past performance over many years of delivering wing kits. As the MBDA Inc. Huntsville team scales up and expands our reach into the U.S. supply chain, we will continue to meet customer requirements on time and budget. In addition to Diamond Back, MBDA Inc. remains committed to introducing MBDA’s superior portfolio of precision guided munitions and advanced technology to the U.S.”
MBDA Inc. has been recognized with three Boeing Performance Excellence Awards over the course of producing over 18,000 Diamond Back Wing Assemblies. MBDA produced the 20,000th unit in September 2017.
MBDA Inc. will continue assembling and testing Diamond Back Wing Assemblies at its Huntsville, Alabama facility. MBDA Inc. is also hiring new staff and expanding its facilities to accommodate increasing demand for wing assemblies.
MBDA Inc. is the American subsidiary of missile systems company MBDA.
With a significant presence in five European countries and within the USA, in 2016 MBDA achieved a turnover of 3.0 billion Euros with an order book of 15.9 billion Euros. With more than 90 armed forces customers in the world, MBDA is a world leader in missiles and missile systems.
MBDA is the only European group capable of designing and producing missiles and missile systems that correspond to the full range of current and future operational needs of the three armed forces (land, sea and air).
In total, the group offers a range of 45 missile systems and countermeasures products already in operational service and more than 15 others currently in development.
MBDA is jointly held by Airbus (37.5%), BAE Systems (37.5%), and Leonardo (25%).
