The US Air Force has successfully tested solutions to a technical problem with Lockheed Martin's Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD) that slowed the project for over a year.
Fin flutter at supersonic speeds was discovered during flight testing in November 1997. Lockheed Martin looked at four designs with locking systems - released explosively or mechanically - to keep the fins in place until after separation. Solutions with each type of locking mechanism were flight tested in June on a Lockheed Martin F-16.
Lockheed Martin is fabricating 300 WCMD guidance kits under an initial low-rate production contract. The contract for a second production lot, totalling 700 units, is to be awarded this month. The USAF has earmarked 38 kits for use on Boeing B-52s, which fly at subsonic speeds.
Source: Flight International