The U.S. Air Force has successfully validated its next-generation QUICKSINK maritime strike weapon during a live-fire exercise in the Norwegian Sea on September 3, 2025. The event featured a U.S. B-2 Spirit stealth bomber working in concert with Royal Norwegian Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters to engage a moving surface vessel, confirming the operational readiness of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s innovative strike system.
QUICKSINK is a precision-guided program that transforms standard JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions) into cost-effective ship-killing weapons by integrating advanced seekers capable of tracking moving maritime targets. This provides commanders with a scalable, affordable alternative to traditional anti-ship cruise missiles like Harpoon or LRASM, enabling high-volume strike operations and expanding the Air Force’s role in sea control missions.
The B-2 Spirit, the world’s only operational stealth bomber, played a central role in the demonstration. With its intercontinental range, ability to penetrate dense air defenses, and capacity to carry both conventional and nuclear payloads, the B-2 is uniquely suited for precision strike missions. Using QUICKSINK from this platform demonstrates its adaptability to maritime strike scenarios where both reach and survivability are critical.
Norwegian F-35As provided sensor fusion, situational awareness, and targeting support, demonstrating seamless integration between allied fifth-generation aircraft and U.S. long-range strike assets. Norway’s fleet of 52 F-35As has become a cornerstone of NATO’s northern defense strategy, and this exercise highlighted their value in combined maritime operations.
The Norwegian Sea remains a key arena of NATO-Russia competition, with Russia’s Northern Fleet deploying submarines, surface combatants, and missile systems that threaten transatlantic reinforcement routes. Exercises like this directly address those threats, proving that NATO can deliver precise, distributed, and survivable strike effects even in highly contested maritime environments.
By validating both large and small QUICKSINK variants, the exercise expands NATO’s strike portfolio and strengthens deterrence in the High North, signaling to adversaries that allied forces retain the ability to neutralize naval threats before they disrupt freedom of movement across the Atlantic.
