Raytheon completed a series of hardware-in-the-loop laboratory tests on the datalink of a GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II, an important step to clearing the datalink for flight tests later this month.

During the tests, engineers verified the Rockwell Collins datalink worked as anticipated in a variety of circumstances. Engineers will now conduct UHF and Link 16-mode testing of the datalink from a UH-1 helicopter, Raytheon said.

Raytheon is competing for a GBU-53/B engineering and manufacturing development contract, which is scheduled to be awarded later this year, with delivery of production rounds beginning in late 2013.

In April, the first GBU-53/B was released from a U.S. Air Force F-15E as a control test vehicle. After separating from the aircraft, the weapon deployed its wings, performed a series of preprogrammed maneuvers and flew to a predesignated position.