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The US military looks set to increase its use of “smart” weapons following
the development of a cheap, steerable bomb. Smart bombs use hugely expensive
on-board target-seeking systems, and this makes the military very choosy about
when they are used. But Lockheed Martin’s new Owl bomb has no on-board seekers
or sensors. Instead, it’s steered by radar signals from friendly aircraft. On
launch, Owl extends its wings and glides towards the target, steered by
computers on the nearby aircraft that continuously track it and recalculates its
aim. The “dumb bombs” can work at night or in bad weather, and unlike TV-guided
or laser-guided bombs, they are not troubled by smoke or dust.