USAF B-2 bomber sinks ship with QUICKSINK in Norwegian Sea test
September 12, 2025
A US Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, paired with Norwegian aircraft, sank a maritime target in the North Atlantic last week using QUICKSINK bombs. Photos released showed the 2,000-pound GBU-31 and 500-pound GBU-38 bombs, although it’s unclear which (or both) were used.
US B-2 bombers sink target ship with QUICKSINK
According to the US Air Force, the B-2 bomber that struck the maritime target is assigned to the 393rd Bomber Generation Squadron at Missouri’s Whiteman Air Force Base and was accompanied by Norwegian F-35As and a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
The demonstration took place in the Norwegian Sea with the USAF saying the test validated the B-2’s “enduring advantages” that include stealth, range, and payload flexibility. It also reinforced its evolving role in maritime strike.
QUICKSINK is an anti-ship munition with a Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)-derived glide kit. The new QUICKSINK munition allows the US to greatly expand the stockpile of available anti-ship missiles. It enables the dumb Mark 80 series of bombs to be transformed into precision-guided anti-ship missiles.
The first public demonstration of the QUICKSINK munition took place in 2022 by an F-15E. In 2024, B-2s used the bombs to sink two decommissioned amphibious ships, the USS Dubuque (LPD-8) and the USS Tarawa (LHA-1).
Seperately, the US Air Force recently used B-2 Spirits to carry the ultra-heavy GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator to target Iran’s deeply buried nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer.
US B-2 bomber’s new small 500-pound QUICKSINK
QUICKSINK comes with two variants, the larger 2,000-pound bomb and the smaller 500-pound bomb. These are being produced as a low-cost and readily available anti-ship solution.
In June 2025, the Air Force reported that a B-2 Spirit delivered a 500-pound QUICKSINK bomb at the Eglin Air Force Base Gulf Test Range. The Air Force added that this test followed the successful testing of the larger 2,000-pound bomb in 2024.
Whereas the B-2 bomber can only carry around 16 larger bombs, it can carry up to 80 of these smaller 500-pound bombs. Each of these can be tasked with neutralizing different vessels, targeting them at their weakest points just below the waterline. Theoretically, it means a single B-2 could engage 80 enemy maritime targets on a single sortie.
Rapidly addressing the urgent need for quantity
Conflicts from the Middle East to Ukraine are demonstrating the need for cheap and affordable mass to counter cheap and affordable mass.
For decades, the trend has been to fewer and more capable platforms, but this has come at the expense of mass. For example, not only are Patriot interceptor missiles extremely expensive, but there are mathematically not enough of them in the world to counter Russia’s cheap mass-produced Shahed-style drones.
In the air-to-air role, the F-15 was designed to carry a limited number of expensive AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. Now, the Air Force has rapidly integrated seven-round rocket pods carrying dozens of affordable laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets, able to counter drones.
In the Pacific, one of the recurring themes of wargaming is the US Navy submarines, ships, and aircraft simply running out of munitions. The US is aware and is rapidly developing ways for platforms, like the B-2, to carry much larger numbers of smaller, cheaper, but sufficiently capable munitions to counter any threat from China.
The Air Force is also reportedly looking to integrate AGM-158 Long-Range Anti-Ship Missiles on its F-15 family of aircraft.
