UK approves F-35B StormBreaker interim stand-off weapon; switches to SDB-II via FMS amid SPEAR 3 integration delays
The UK Ministry of Defence has green-lit acquisition of Boeing Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB-II) munitions for the F-35B fleet as an interim stand-off capability while SPEAR 3 integration remains delayed into the early 2030s. Concurrently, the MoD approved StormBreaker and disclosed corrosion-related and spare-parts constraints that are reducing mission rates.