One of America’s most important and widely weapons, a GBU-53/B StormBreaker glide bomb.is being employed across the U.S. own aerial fleets and many of its allies, according to a report published by The War Zone - also known by the shorthand TWZ - news website.
The report added that Despite the fact that the cutting-edge StormBreaker was only recently confirmed as being used in combat, the weapon was found by citizens in the Asilan area within the Shabwah governorate, a region in southeast Yemen (not in the northeast of the country, as some accounts have implied). The weapon has clearly not detonated and appears to have had its impact cushioned by desert sand, leaving it in one piece. Its pop-out wings are seen in a partially deployed position.
With that in mind, the technological risk of the remains of this still near-completely intact weapon falling into an adversary’s hands is significant.
It’s unclear what happened to the StormBreaker, but the relatively limited nature of the damage strongly suggests it had had a technical failure, rather than being brought down by enemy fire.
A month ago, TWZ reported on what appeared to be the first evidence of the StormBreaker being used in combat by the U.S. Navy, after official videos were published showing missions against the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen.
Another notable feature of the StormBreaker is its ability to communicate with the aircraft carrying it via onboard datalink. This means the weapon can be launched and, if required, redirected to a new target once in flight, as well as receiving regular midcourse updates.
The weapon can also glide fully on its own guidance using a GPS-assisted inertial navigation system, after which it can strike a specific coordinate or begin searching for a target. This provides considerable flexibility, with the weapon able to engage both stationary and moving targets, including at night or in bad weather, at standoff distances.
Based on figures released by the U.S. Air Force, the StormBreaker can hit stationary targets at a maximum of 69 miles and moving targets at 45 miles.
The StormBreaker is being used as part of ongoing strikes by the U.S. military against Houthi targets in Yemen, launched by President Donald Trump last month.
As well as the StormBreaker, airstrikes against the Houthis have seen a wide variety of interesting weapons employed, including a significant proportion of standoff types.
Among these, the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) glide bomb has been prominent, as well as the AGM-84H/K Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) missile, and the more familiar Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM). Earlier this week, we saw an EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft carrying four AGM-88 series missiles, as you can read about here.
Returning to the StormBreaker wreckage, the fact that this is now very likely in Houthi hands, as well as being notably intact, means that it could present a fairly significant intelligence windfall. Bearing in mind the Houthis’ sponsorship by Iran and that country’s military and broader strategic connections to both China and Russia, it’s very conceivable that technologies from the weapon could now be exploited by some of America’s key adversaries.
Of course, before the StormBreaker was used in Yemen, the technological risk involved would have been considered. After all, whatever the reliability of weapons like this, every weapon has a failure rate and there’s always a possibility they will fall into an adversary’s hands once exposed to combat. But one falling into the enemy’s hands in such an intact state is certainly an unwelcome development for the Pentagon.